No One Would Believe Me
by tiggeranddash
Summary: "I will be brave. I will fight. I will get home! I will see my family again! Because I am never fighting alone. Because I do have a reason to go on. Because I will be strong. You hear me universe? I'm not afraid of you! *BOOM *...Well maybe a little."
1. The Gate

No one would believe me. No one in their right minds would ever listen to my tales and walk away thinking they were true. No one ever heard such stories in their lives, but every single last word is true. Every sentence I write is from my memory and not one word is out of place. The adventure of a lifetime started on the most ordinary day and nothing was the same afterwards.

Amy Kishi sat at her desk. She was waiting for the current page on her computer to load and she watched as the little green bar at the bottom began to fill up. Next to her computer was a notebook and a pen in which she had been taking notes. Having finished with her research, Amy had decided to do pass the time before dinner with one of her favorite hobbies, reading. That was the soul activity that Amy enjoyed more then anything else in the entire world. She gobbled up school books and slowly digested any book that caught her attention. Her favorite books were usually fantasy or science fiction, which she read on a daily basis. Mangas, science, and history books were also some of her favorites. Amy loved learning about the ancient past and studied everything from the ancient cities of the Middle East to the Industrial Revolution. Science was another interest because Amy found it intriguing to find out how things worked. Whether she was learning how clouds moved or how the Earth formed, she read it all. Finally, there were the mangas which were Japanese comic books often dealing with fantasy.

Naturally, it would be presumed that someone who had such a thirst for knowledge was good at school, which she was. Amy had an uncanny ability to remember what the teachers spoke even if she didn't write it down. However, Amy only considered herself smart because she studied. She threw all of her effort into studying and schoolwork and was very proud of the results. In fact, Amy attended an advanced high school for mathematics, science, and engineering. The school was only available to those who lived in the county and you had to be accepted into the school after taking entrance exams. Only a few kids were chosen out of each town and Amy was overjoyed when she had been accepted. There were other schools that were also just as advanced on campus but each school focused on something different. One of the other schools was for teenagers interested in medicine and the students were miniature doctors by the time they left the school. The other one was for technology and any student there, by senior year could take your computer apart and put it back together in a matter of minutes. 

Amy also had friends which attended her school. Since everyone was intellectual in her school, there were no social clicks, jocks, or preps. In fact, the school didn't even have its own football team. Yet, Amy's group was probably the weirdest one on campus. A fact they were very proud of. One reason for this may have been there Monday holidays, which were held every Monday or Tuesday if there was no school on Monday. Each Monday they did something different and bizarre. Last Monday, had been switch personality day in which they had wrote the names of each other on a slip of paper and traded them and whoever the person picked out of a hat they had to act like. The entire day was filled with over exaggerated personalities of each other, which they all laughed at. The most recent Monday had been Musical Monday and they had to sing anything they wanted to speak. Indeed, Amy's group of friends was by far the most insane group in the school. Also, every single person in the group had a fetish (large or small) for anime/manga. They loved to exchange books and made up most of the current anime club.

At the moment though, Amy was still waiting for her page to load. The little green bar had moved up a grand total of 5 in the last few minutes and Amy's patience was coming to an end.

"GAH!" Amy cried as the clock on the computer told her another minute had passed and she was still waiting.

"Stupid laptop," she criticized and then bent under her desk and retrieved a small rubber hammer.

Amy swung it at her keyboard and it made a squeaky sound as it hit its target. The hammer had no effect because it was made out of plastic and then blown up, but it made Amy feel better. Sighing, Amy bent down so that she was eyelevel with her computer's keyboard.

"Stupid, stupid, laptop," she muttered.

"Hello, there."

Amy let out a large scream and nearly jumped out of her seat when she heard the voice coming out of her computer. Her heart beat wildly before Amy spotted the cause of her scare. The page had started to load and there was a large popup at the top of the webpage. When her mouse had scrolled over it, the popup had sounded and Amy had forgotten that she left the sound on. 

"That was scary," Amy mumbled clutching her chest before glancing around, "I really need to stop talking out loud."

Finally her page loaded and Amy gleefully scrolled down to look at the latest comment on her webpage. It wasn't a myspace or facebook or anything like that but it was her own website which she updated once in a while. Truthfully, the only people who probably knew the site even existed at all were her friends but Amy didn't care. Her last comment had been about her favorite manga of all time Full Metal Alchemist. She had finished reading the seventh chapter of the second book when she posted this comment. Amy had seen the first 20 episodes of the anime and the movie but she thought the book was much better and her friend told her the plot line was slightly different, which Amy was glad about. Sadly, no one had responded yet but then again she had only posted yesterday. Amy clicked on the html bar and typed in the website she wanted to visit, she hit the enter button and once again sat back to wait for the page to load. This time the wait was shorter but that didn't stop Amy from banging her hammer against the keyboard twice before the page finally appeared. It was a website for fans of mangas and the people wrote stories based off their favorite stories. Amy browsed through the Full Metal Alchemist stories but most of the new additions didn't seem that attractive to her. One did catch her attention though. "Make Your Own FMA Adventure" it was labeled and all one had to do was answer some questions about favorite characters and such and then submit it. Amy followed the guidelines and sent off her answers. Just then, some tapping came from out side her window.

Cautiously, Amy got up to exam the tapping. She threw back the curtains to the window and noticed that it was raining. Correction, it was sunshowering. The sun was still shining brightly as rain hit the ground. Amy, being a lover of the rain, hurriedly rushed outside to witness this rare event. Unfortunately, the rain was over as soon as it started. However, the rain had left behind a large rainbow which stretched across the sky and could be seen between the gray clouds. It wasn't a cheesy rainbow like the ones little girls admired so much but a real one with each color fading into the next one.

"A RAINBOW!" shouted a happy voice, "A real live rainbow!"

Amy had to restrain herself from correcting her littlest sister's statement. Melinda had come to join Amy on the front porch in all of her pink glory. Her pink short sleeved shirt matched perfectly with her long dark pink skirt and her black shoes with magenta ribbons. The outfit was almost a foil to Amy's outfit which was a simple pair of jean shorts that reached her knees and a green and white striped shirt. A few seconds later, Courtney joined her two sisters on the porch. Courtney was the middle sister and she was rather short for her age. Her hair was also a shade darker then Amy's and about three shades darker then Melinda's almost white blond hair. Amy's hair was a mix of different blonds and Courtney's was almost brown with streaks of gold blond running through it. 

Click.

All three girls, turned to see their mother stepping out of the car with a camera in her hands. The camera was one of those kinds that had the picture come out immediately after taking it.

"Who wants it?" their mom called raising the picture into the air.

"I call dibs," Amy said and dashed over to her mom.

"No fair," Courtney whined, "I wanted it."

"Talk fast then," Amy replied taking the picture from her mom.

"I won't need to talk fast when my flying monkeys come and get you," Courtney justified.

"I don't see any flying monkeys," Amy put a hand to her eyes and peered around, "Nope no flying monkeys."

"They're on vacation," Courtney explained, "They'll get you when they come back from Canada."

"Monkeys go to Canada?" Amy asked following her mom back inside the house.

"Only during Spring break," she said.

"It's June," Amy stated.

"In that case, someone should have told the monkeys," Courtney said.

They both looked at each other and laughed. Amy and Courtney were really four years apart in age but they got along well because Courtney liked anime too. Melinda was seven years younger then Amy so sometimes they had trouble connecting. Especially when Melinda was still playing with dolls and Amy was on the computer. Though the age difference let Amy play the role of big sister which was a pain in the rear most times but it did have its good moments.

"Mommy what's for dinner?" Melinda asked when they were all inside the house.

"I'm tired," their mother complained, "Let's wait till Daddy gets home and then we'll decide."

"Okay," Melinda said excited to hear about her dad, which most little kids were.

Courtney nodded and Amy just glanced at her mom before heading back up to her room. Amy placed the picture next to her laptop with her hammer and looked at the screen. There was a notice saying she had a new message and she clicked it. It was the person she sent the survey to, messaging her. They said she would have the story done in a few days and Amy replied with a thank you. 

"Yosh!" came a voice from downstairs and the familiar sound of the front door closing reached Amy's ears.

"I brought Chinese food," her dad shouted from downstairs.

"CHINESE FOOD!" her sisters screamed from the playroom in the basement and running up the stairs.

"SAVE SOME FOR ME!" Amy called and she turned back to the screen. Frantically, she began to save and close programs, so that she could get some food before it disappeared. 

"Come on, come on," she whispered to the screen, "Save faster."

It was down to the last screen which was AutoCAD. It was a program she had been using for school for engineering and architecture. The drawing on the screen was really a result of her experimenting with the program but she had created a circle with all these designs. It wasn't alchemy per say, at least that wasn't her intention, it was a magic circle from a book she read. The ancient hand-me down printer made loud creaking noises and started creaking and groaning while it printed out her drawing.

"AMY THE FOOD WILL GET COLD!" her mom yelled up the stairs. 

"I KNOW," she yelled back, turning to the printer, "Stupid printer."

Finally, the printer spit out her paper and Amy grabbed it while pressing the off button on her laptop. Suddenly bright lights began to swirl around the room and wind whipped Amy's hair around. Startled, Amy dropped the paper, but the lights and wind continued.

"Oh my," Amy gasped. She grabbed her plastic hammer sitting next to the computer. 

"MOM! DAD!" she screamed frightened, "HELP ME!"

Footsteps could be heard as her parents hurried up the stairs. The lights suddenly turned dark and the wind picked up.

"MOMMY!" Amy shouted at the top of her lungs, "SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!"

Out of the floor rose a giant door like thing. Amy's room wasn't exactly roomy. In fact it was about the size of a walk in closet, so her bed was tall with shelves, drawers, and a pullout desk under it. If you crawled under the desk you were in a compartment under the bed facing the wall. So when this door appeared in front of her, there was no space in Amy's room. Black hands began to seep out from the door and Amy quickly tried to crawl under the bed. Something grabbed her ankle and began to pull her back. Fear and panic spread through Amy as she clawed at the floor trying to escape. Tears began to flood out of her eyes. Desperately, she tried to kick what was dragging her back but it just grabbed her other foot.

"SOMEONE PLEASE!" she half-screamed half-cried. 

Amy slid across the floor and whatever had a hold on her legs began to crawl up her body. Panicking she tried to turn around so she could hit the creatures with her plastic hammer which had fallen on the floor. However, the thing was already at her waist and crawling upwards. Her lower half was in the doorway and with a final tug at her shoes; Amy was pulled through the doorway. The door slammed in her face as Amy was up righted. The space she was in was all yellow and for the first time Amy saw what had dragged her through the hallway. They were little black creatures almost like imps and they had yellow eyes and black claw-like fingers. 

"Let me go," Amy commanded struggling against their tight grip. The creatures gripped tighter when Amy tried to shake them off. 

Instantly, they let go and Amy fell backwards and her back hit a floor. 

"Hello," a voice spoke.

Amy turned over to see a shadow like figure about 10feet away. It had no eyes or distinct features and was entirely grey. Stunned, Amy stood on her knees and looked at the strange person.

"I am truth," it said.

"Truth," Amy repeated.

"The creator, the maker," it said coming closer, "I know all. I am all."

Amy didn't move. Her world had been turned upside down in a matter of seconds.

"You came to see, right?" It asked her, "You want to know."

She shook her head. Truthfully Amy would have like to know everything, but if it was from Truth she would pass. 

"You lie," Truth said, "You want to know, don't you?"

"NO!" Amy screamed getting up, "I want to go home! Let me go home!"

Panic spread through Amy as Truth stepped closer. She backed up, shaking her head.

"This isn't real. This isn't real," she muttered staring wide-eyed at Truth.

"Oh but it is," it taunted, "I know all. I see all. I know everything about you."

"Let me go back," Amy demanded, "Leave me alone." 

The thing just smiled.

"This is a one way street. You have to keep going." 

If possible, Amy's eyes got even wider. The door opened up again and the little black hands grabbed her and began to pull her back.

"No, no, no," Amy screamed, "LET ME GO!"

"I look forward to seeing how you find a back road," Truth waved before the door shut in Amy's face and she was flying through the air again. This time Amy struggled harder against the creatures but to no avail. Once again all the creatures let go at the same time and Amy was flying through the air again. 

She turned around so her head was facing the ground. This probably wasn't the best idea, when Amy saw what was happening. Below her was a long drop down to Earth. The drop was easily over a couple thousand feet and Amy was falling at an alarming rate. She closed her eyes but the wind pressure made them open and she was forced to watch the images come closer and closer into view. It was like zooming into something. One second it was all green and blue, the next she could see colored patches which were quickly followed by a view of the cities and towns. 

"I'm going to die!" Amy thought scared beyond measure, "I'm going to hit the ground and go sploosh! I am going to die!"

A body of water came into view and Amy studied it. If it was deep enough and moving water, she had about a one in a billion stakes of living. However, if the water was still or shallow, she was 100 doomed. The next few moments were a blur for Amy but each nanosecond was etched in her mind. One moment she was staring at the fast approaching water and the next thing she knew she was at least 10 feet underwater. The pressure of the fall pushed Amy deep into the water. Praying for a miracle Amy put all of her effort into swimming upwards. Her clothes dragged her down, but she refused to remove them in fear of sinking back down into the depths of the water. Using every bit of strength and knowledge she had gained from her lifeguard course her mom made her take, Amy finally broke the surface of the water. Amy took a giant breath for her poor lungs and then she swam towards shore. Slowly, she pulled herself out of the water and collapsed on the grass. When she gained enough breath back she crawled away from the water's edge. Her arms shook from exhaustion and she was breathing hard and deep. It felt like there were people pounding on her brain with giant hammers and she could barely keep her eyes open. The weariness caught up with her and Amy fell asleep.


	2. Mood Swinging Aunts and Hammers

Tigger: Hi everyone this is me second chapter. (single person cheers) I hope you like it. Don't forget to review.

Disclaimer: I do not nor will I ever own FMA it's ideas, stories, plotlines or characters. I only own Amy, her family, and Auntie Senile.

Auntie Senile: NO ONE OWNS ME! I ONLY OWN MYSELF! (laughs evilly) Now who wants a cookie? (everyone backs away creeped out at the sudden mood swing)

Amy: Now onto the story...

* * *

Tired, sore, hungry, and thirsty were the four words to describe Amy when she woke up a few hours later. Five words she was sleepy too. Amy's clothes had dried from laying on the ground and now they were all wrinkled. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. She rubbed them again and took another glance. Still not satisfied with what she saw, Amy once again rubbed her eyes. Finally, she decided her eyes were not the problem and promptly gave herself a very large pinch.

"Ouch!" she cried rubbing the self-induced injury.

Amy was no longer by the body of water she had fallen in. Instead, she was sitting on a cot in a wooden cabin. There was a blue blanket over her and her sandals were on the floor next to the bed. However it wasn't just her surroundings that scared Amy, it what the surroundings looked like. Everything as far as the eye could see, looked like it had been drawn. Amy looked at herself and bit her lip to stop her from screaming. Her entire body also looked like it had been drawn. The clothes she had been wearing were neatly colored in and her skin was the same tone all over.

"Oh you're up now," an elderly woman said entering the room through a door near the foot of the cot, "I was worried about you."

It took all of Amy's effort not to scream at the fact there was a walking talking drawing in front of her.

"You okay, dear?" the women asked, "You seem a bit pale."

Frantically Amy shook her head indicating she was fine. The women gave her an odd look and placed the tray she had been carrying at the end of the bed.

"You must be tired. I mean falling out of the sky and then having to swim to the surface of the lake would wear me out. But then again, I'm not exactly a spring chicken," the women gave Amy a knowing smile, "I'm Alicia, but you can call me Auntie Medicine."

"Auntie Medicine?" Amy repeated puzzled.

"Yes, I'm the medicine women around here. Most people call me Auntie Medicine, haven't figured out why yet though."

"I'm Amy," Amy introduced herself shyly, she was always shy around new people.

The women looked her over and then turned back towards her tray and began to pour something into two cups.

"Here Cloud-Girl, have some tea it will warm you up," she said handing Amy a cup.

"Cloud-Girl?" Amy asked.

"You fell from the clouds so Cloud-Girl," the women explained, "Though you did swim like a fish. Maybe I'll call you Fish Girl."

"My name is Amy," Amy objected, "Not Fish Girl or Cloud-Girl."

"I call them as I see them," the women said taking a sip of her tea.

"Then I'm going to call you Auntie Senile," Amy remarked angrily.

"Whatever you say Cloud- Girl. Now drink your tea before it turns cold."

Amy lifted the drink to her mouth and took a sip. Her eyebrows raised at the tastiness of the tea. Back home, Amy never drank tea but this tea was sweet and refreshing. She began to sip it quietly while eyeing the old lady. The old women had white hair pulled into a bun at the back of her head. She wore a long brown dress with tan sleeves and a black apron. Her face had wrinkles and there were freckles all over her exposed hands. What was most startling about this women must have been her eyes which were a startling shade of purple. The women smiled as Amy sized her up.

"You know you really should have asked what I served you before you drank it," she commented.

Amy looked up at her with a bewildered expression.

"I could have poisoned it and you would have never known," she continued.

"But your drink came from the same teapot. You would have been poisoning yourself too," Amy pointed out.

Alicia looked at Amy for a second before saying "Smart girl."

There was a pause as Alicia took another sip of her tea.

"You know," she said breaking the silence, "You never told me what happened."

"You never asked," Amy objected.

"Well now I am," Alicia said, "Now what happened after I saw you fall out of the sky and swim ashore."

"I don't really know. I'm kind of hoping this is a dream," Amy said.

"I don't. I would be really angry if I found out I was just a figment of someone else's dream," the women butted in.

"Yeah well at least you would know what's going on. I have no idea what's happening to me. One second I'm at home and the next thing I know a door appears in my room and I get kidnapped by little black imps who are working for someone called the truth!" Amy snapped, "Then, if that wasn't enough, this Truth guy sends me flying through the sky and I almost drown in a lake. Just to be rescued by some senile old lady who is crushing my only hope left."

"Truth, huh?" Alicia muttered.

"You've seen him?" Amy questioned surprised.

"It was a long time ago," the women said with a distant look in her eyes, "Tell me what did he take from you."

"He didn't take anything, He just sent me here laughing. Saying something about a one way street."

"One-way street?" Alicia repeated, "A one way street."

Alicia looked at you and then down at the cup in her hands.

"Do you know anything about alchemy?" she asked.

"Only from what I read in a series.." Amy stopped speaking for a moment.

"Oh no," she gasped, "Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. This is not happening. I didn't. That's impossible."

She looked at the old women as if searching for an answer.

"I'm," she stuttered "I GOT SUCKED INTO A BOOK!"

Alicia cast her a glance as Amy started having a panic attack.

"I went through the gate just like in the movie!" she shouted, "I'm on the other side! I'm in another world! This can not be happening! This isn't real! I'm dreaming! I'm dreaming! Oh no fricking way this is real! AHHH!"

Having had her fill of Amy screaming, Alicia hit Amy over the head with her fist.

"So you're from the other side, huh?" she asked.

Amy nodded clutching her head in pain as anime tears streaked down her face.

"Do you know how you got here?"

Amy shook her head no.

"Hmmm," the women looked at Amy thoughtful, "Well then you better stay with me for a while shouldn't you?"

She looked at Amy.

"Yes that should do at least until we figure out a solution."

Somewhere else in the cabin a faint ding could be heard.

"Oh my cookies, I'll be right back."

Alicia walked out of the room leaving a shocked Amy behind.

"Crazy, mood swinging old lady," Amy muttered rubbing her head, "I think there was a reason she wasn't in the show."

_"Still,"_ Amy thought, _"At least she is giving me a place to stay. Until I can wake up from this nightmare or dream or whatever it is. There is no freaking way I got sucked into a book or went through the gate. I mean that's impossible."_

"I'm back," Alicia called sweetly, "And I brought cookies."

_She has scary mood swings._

"Here Cloud-Girl have one."

Before Amy could reply a cookie was shoved in her mouth.

"It's good, right?"

Amy could only nod as a reply.

"Alright then, let's get you some clothes. I think I might have some that would fit you from my son," Alicia then preceded to drag you out of the room.

A couple hours later, Amy sat at a small wooden table in boy's clothes. The clothes were from the early 1900's and used to belong to Auntie Senile's son. Apparently she had a husband once too but her son and husband died in the Ishavalan war. On Amy's head was an orange beret hat which her short blond hair stuck out from under. She also wore a white button up shirt with a collar, a red vest that was slightly big on her, and a pair of brown slacks that were tucked into a pair of old black boots. When the vest was buttoned up, it hid what little chest Amy had and she could almost pass off as a boy. Almost being the key word there. Auntie Senile had explained that they were in a forest outside of a small village. The village was located between Eastern City and the borders. During the last couple of years, the town had been gradually growing in population but a majority of the townsfolk had died in the war. Alicia was retired for the most part but she grew some herbs which she sold to doctors for them to use as medicine.

It was late afternoon when Amy had sat down at the table. Which reminded her, at what time had she arrived this morning. Unless Amy had gone back in time, which she doubted, she had either spent a long time going through the gate or there was a time difference between the two worlds. It was early morning when she had fallen out of the sky and Alicia confessed to finding Amy in the later part of the morning.

"Oh," Alicia gasped, "I forgot something."

Amy looked at her quizzically.

"Is this yours?" Alicia asked pulling out a photo and a piece of mangled plastic.

The photo was the one of you and your sisters that your mom had taken back in your world. Except now every person and thing in the screen looked drawn. Amy nodded and Alicia gave her the photo.

"What about this?" she held up the mangled plastic.

It took Amy a second before she recognized what Alicia was holding.

"My hammer!" she said shocked to see that it had made it here with her.

"This is a hammer?" Alicia asked looking at the plastic in disbelief.

"Well, it was a plastic hammer and I guess it got ruined during my trip here," Amy suggested.

Alicia looked at Amy for a second before disappearing into another room. She came back a minute later with a real hammer.

"Here," she tossed Amy the hammer, "You can use this."

"Uh…thanks," was Amy's reply.

Amy held up the hammer to look at it. Unlike your typical hammer, this hammer had two flat round sides and the head of the hammer was slightly bigger then one of a normal hammer.

"What should I do with it?" Amy asked.

"Use it to protect yourself."

"From what?"

"You ask too many questions Cloud-Girl. Just accept your gift like a good girl and be quiet," Auntie Senile commanded in an annoyed tone.

There was another long silence as we both sat their in the small kitchen.

"I have an idea," Auntie Senile suddenly blurted out.

Amy looked at her.

"I have an acquaintance in East City," she continued, ignoring Amy's puzzled face, "He used to work with my husband and son. He's an alchemist and would probably be able to help you. I'll give you some money and you can go see him."

"Uhmm… but I don't know how to get to East City and I couldn't take your money," Amy objected.

"You've already taken my time, space in my house, clothes, and food. Some money shouldn't be a problem."

_"You offered these to me,"_ Amy thought looking at the clothes.

"It's a brilliant plan. Here, we'll leave right now."

"Right now?" Amy questioned.

"I mean I just got here and what about my stuff and," Amy struggled to come up with an excuse.

"Nonsense, I'll put some things you will need in a backpack and I'll walk you to the edge of town. Then you can buy a ticket and hop on the train. Next thing you know, you'll be in Eastern and one step closer to a way home. Get some backbone Cloud-Girl."

"My name is AMY," Amy spoke exaggerating her name.

"Glad you agree with my plan. Now stay here while I get the supplies you'll need," then she left the room.

"But.. hey…wait… I NEVER AGREED WITH YOUR PLAN!" Amy yelled.

Either Alicia didn't hear her or she was purposely ignoring Amy. If she could guess, it would probably be the second one. Amy sighed. Things were just out of control today and more then anything she wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed.

_I wonder I'll run into Ed and Al. Maybe I'll see them in Eastern. Isn't that where Mustang works? Well, I guess it depends on what part of the story I landed it._

"Back!" Alicia announced cheerfully, "Now let's get going."

She opened the door and Amy followed her outside.

The sun was high in the sky and leaning somewhere towards Amy's left. Amy didn't speak as she followed Alicia through the woods. They were thirty minutes into their trip when Alicia broke the silence.

"Nervous?" she asked.

"Yeah," Amy answered truthfully, "I've never gone somewhere without my family before and now I'm not even in the same universe."

"When I left home for the first time, I was nervous too. But I learned that you have to keep going foreword. Be strong Cloud-Girl."

"For the last time, my name is Amy!"

"You keep telling yourself that. Now put the hammer and photo in this bag," she ordered holding out a backpack for her.

Amy looked at the items in her hands, she had forgotten about them. Then she put them in the bag Alicia offered her.

"I put a letter for my friend in there and there's some money in the side pocket. The train should be arriving soon so hurry we're almost at the edge of the forest right now."

Amy nodded and put the bag on her back.

"Could you come with me?" she asked shyly.

Alicia smiled and shook her head no.

"Be courageous Cloud-Girl. You're on your own now. But I'll be right here if you ever feel like visiting," she smiled and patted Amy on the back, "Go on now."

With a worried glance, Amy walked towards the town.

"I'll see you later, Auntie Senile," she called over her shoulder.

Alicia watched her walk into town and then turned to walk home.

* * *

  
Thanks for reading. I'll try to add something more intresting at the end from now on.


	3. Train Troubles and Rain

Tigger: Hi, everyone and thanks to those who reviewed. You'll notice in the first chapter I said she had just finished reading the seventh chapter well I meant eighth. Sorry about that. Anyway please enjoy this chapter. Sorry that it isn't really long but I thought this would be a good place to end this. Thanks to all who reviewed my story it means so much to me. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not in any way shape or form own this couch which I am sitting on.

Ed: THAT'S NOT A DISCLAIMER!!

Tigger: Sheesh Ed anger management much. Besides I'm just telling the truth I really don't own this couch.

Al: Tigger, you're supposed to say that you do not own Full Metal Alchemist in any way shape or form. You also don't own me, brother, or any other of the characters besides Auntie Senile, Amy, and Amy's family.

Tigger: NEVER! (runs off)

Ed: GET BACK HERE! (chases after Tigger)

Al: (sighs and then begins to follow) Brother, wait up!

* * *

Amy took a deep breath and walked through the last trees into town. The town looked like some old European town from the 1900's. Which Amy reminded herself, it was the 1900's. Quickly she took off in the direction of the train station which was on the other end of town. Her stomach felt queasy from all the butterflies in there and all she wanted to do was head back into the forest. Instead, Amy approached the steps to the train station and headed up them.

The train station was grand with wide arches in the ceiling and a spotless marble floor. A little to her right, Amy spotted the ticket booth and went over. She stood in line as the man in front of her received his tickets and walked away. Shyly, Amy looked in the window of the person operating the ticket booth.

"Excuse me," she said in a quiet voice, "I need one ticket to East City."

"Well aren't you polite?" the lady cooed, "That train should be arriving soon. Here's your ticket."

The woman handed Amy a ticket and smiled at her.

"How much do I owe you?" Amy asked politely.

"This one's on the house dear. Now hurry up."

"Oh, thank you very much," Amy stood there debating with herself for a second, before she bowed and ran over to one of the benches.

The station had only two tracks running through it and Amy glanced at her ticket to see which one she should be standing near. A shrill noise sounded through the air, as a train whistle blew and the sound of train wheels reached Amy's ears. Slowly, the train pulled into the station and a conductor got out.

"All aboard for East City!" he called, "All aboard!"

Amy walked over to him and showed him her ticket. He nodded and signaled for her to step inside the train. Inside the train were rows of three seaters back to back this way two rows faced each other, Amy's seat was towards the back of the train next to the window. She took it silently and waited as the nervous butterflies began to die down a little. Soon the train jolted forward and Amy glanced around her compartment. It was completely empty minus a man reading the newspaper all the way on the other end. The front page of the paper had the words "Scar on the Run" written in bold letters.

"_Scar? I really hope I don't run into him. This is bad enough as it is._"

"You heard the news?" a man asked Amy.

She turned to see the conductor standing there.

"Yeah," she replied in a small voice.

"Well then you don't need to be told to be careful when you reach Eastern. Someone meeting you there?"

Amy nodded.

"Good. Wouldn't want you to be all alone when we got there," the conductor said smiling.

"Doesn't Scar only go after State Alchemists?" Amy asked, already knowing the answer.

"So far," the man answered gravely, "But you never know who he'll go after next."

Amy gave the man her ticket and he punched a hole in it, handed it back to her, and continued on.

It was a few hours later and night had fallen long ago. The entire time Amy had been staring out the window. Usually she would imagine some weird daydream to pass the time but this time she was in one of those weird daydreams and no matter how hard she tried the only thoughts that entered her brain were ones about home. What had happened to them? Did they know she was gone? What would they do? Her mind wandered as she pondered her situation. Was this really real? If so, how did this happen? It made no sense to her, if she was here why? This all felt like a dream to her but at the same time it felt real. The pain she had felt was definitely real but the reality of this situation was absurd. Someone getting sucked to the other side of the gate for no reason, it sounded like a fanfic she might have read. In all the fanfics she had read the person was always found by Ed and Al or one of the other main characters. They had never been found by some crazy old lady living in the woods. Wasn't she also supposed to be beautiful and talented too? As far as talent went Amy could read and fence, and even then she was only a beginner. She had no knowledge of marital arts and her only fighting experience came from punching and kicking the boys she used to play with when she was younger.

Amy shook her head. It didn't matter this wasn't real, she assured herself. There was no way any of this could have happened and she shouldn't focus on it. However she still had her doubts. It was all so confusing right now. She would try to find a way home for now because if this was real, which she told herself it wasn't, she would want to find a way home. Still in the back of her mind, Amy was excited. Real or not this certainly was the most realistic dream she had ever had. Usually her dreams made no sense but this one was crystal clear. If she was stuck here fine. Amy would make the best of this situation. Maybe she would get to meet Ed and Al. That would be awesome. Amy had to stop herself from going into FMA fan mode. At times like this she needed to keep a level head.

"_I have a headache," _she thought, "_This is way too much for one 15 year old girl._"

Another thought occurred to Amy. What about her i-pod and laptop? In most fanfics the person has a backpack with their stuff in it.

"_One of those backpacks would be useful right now,"_ she thought bitterly.

Amy had no magical backpack. Her i-pod, laptop, and cell phone were not with her. Hell, she didn't have anything except the clothes on her back, a photo, and what Auntie Senile gave her. But it made sense. The gate was all about equivalent exchange, so something would have to be given up to have her stuff come here. But what was exchanged to make her come here? The laws of alchemy clearly state that to create something, something of equal matter and mass must be given up. The only thing equal to Amy coming here was another person. Did that mean that another person was on the other side of the gate in her stead? Were they just as confused as her?

GAH! This is way too much. Amy had to focus. Okay first goal was to get to East City. Then she had to find a way home. Anything else, unless it had to do with her goals, was out of the question.

Amy spent her entire time on the train debating with herself. During that time she pinched herself a few more times to see if this was a dream. But Amy finally figured out that she wouldn't accept this reality until she was given absolute proof that she had gone between worlds. She only remembered the letter when someone announced there was only thirty minutes left before they reached East City.

"Oh, where am I going anyway?" she spoke out loud.

She took off her bag and put it in her lap. When she got the clasp off, she looked inside the bag. There was her hammer and photo near the top. Underneath those were some clothes that Alicia had given her. In the side pocket, was the money Amy was supposed to use to buy a ticket and the letter. Closing the bag, Amy took the letter out and began to read it. On the front of the envelope it said: To Colonel Roy Mustang Of East Command.

"_ROY MUSTANG!!" _Amy screamed in her head, "_I have to go meet Roy Mustang!"_

Truthfully this made a lot of sense. It was only an amount of time before Amy would run into one of the characters in the book, yet she didn't think it would be so soon.

"_I should have seen this coming," _Amy criticized herself, "_I knew Roy worked in East and Auntie Senile did mention it was someone who worked with her son and husband."_

Maybe meeting Roy Mustang would be the proof she needed to finally stop doubting herself. If Amy spent too much time trying to decide whether this was real or not she could end up doing more harm then good.

The train pulled into the station and people began to get off. Amy stuffed the letter in her pocket and left the train.

Outside the station it was dark from the clouds. She couldn't tell if it was day or night and there was not a single person in sight. It was also raining.

"_Oh well,"_ Amy thought, "_Time to find the military."_

Amy looked around.

"_It can't be that hard to find, right?"_

Trying to reassure herself, Amy walked forward into the rain. Her footsteps echoed as she walked down street after street. So far, Amy hadn't come across a single person and she was no closer to her goal then before. At every small sound, Amy's heartbeat quickened. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark, no Amy was afraid of what was in the dark. All in all that was a very sensible thing, to be afraid of what you couldn't see but at the moment it wasn't really helping Amy find her destination. As she rounded another corner a loud crash could be heard. Amy jumped and held her tongue so she wouldn't scream. In the distance she heard someone shouting.

"_People!"_

Another loud crash was heard and Amy jumped again.

"_Maybe I should find someone else. But there the only people I've seen so far."_

Gathering her courage, Amy slowly began to walk towards the voices. When she felt she was close enough she took out her hammer and began to creep forward. There was a giant clock and Amy guessed she was in the town square. To her right were a bunch of stairs but there was no one around.

"I swear I heard people taking," Amy murmured.

Suddenly her foot caught on something and Amy fell over.

"Ow," she whined, rubbing her elbow.

Amy raised herself onto her hands and turned over to see what she tripped over. It was a pair of feet. Amy's slowly began to look up. There were legs, a torso, but no head. Instead there the remains of the end of the neck and what looked like flesh spewed all over the sidewalk. Quickly Amy scooted backwards. Her stomach began to twist uncomfortably and her mouth filled with bile. She would have screamed but her voice seemed to have momentarily disappeared. Not waiting another second, Amy tore herself away from the disgusting site and ran. The rain soaked through her clothes and she slipped once or twice trying to get away but she didn't stop. Images of the dead corpse wouldn't leave her mind; they haunted her and made more bile rise up. Finally, Amy stopped and leaned against the wall of a building. Leaning over she allowed herself to vomit, the sound making her almost throw up again.

Her head spun as Amy tried to swallow the putrid taste in her mouth. Trying to gain a grip on her spinning vision, she stumbled forward. It was only a few feet before she collapsed to the ground and started crying. The tears came pouring out of her eyes as she lied there. Confusion, terror, and hopelessness were mixed together.

"_I want my mom and dad," _she thought desperately, "_I want to go home. This isn't fun. I'm scared and all alone. I may never see my parents again. This isn't worth it."_

Amy's stomach lurched at the thought of being stuck in some weird dimension without her family. More tears formed in her eyes and she started trembling.

"_I want to go home. Please let me go home. I'm sorry, please I'm sorry. Just let me go home."_

Amy pleaded with the heavens but nothing happened. She felt like a child who had done something wrong and she was begging for forgiveness.

"STOP IT! BROTHER RUN AWAY!" someone screamed piercing the silence.

* * *

**OMAKE:**

Amy layed on the ground sobbing when something caught her eye. It was a shiny penny. She went over and picked it up.

"What's a penny doing here?" she asked, "Pennies don't exist in FMA."

Suddenly a giant net fell on top of her.

"We caught the monster," Fred (from Scooby Doo) cheered.

Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne all came from around a corner.

"Bad news Fred," Velma stated, "You didn't catch the monster you caught a little girl."

"I AM NOT LITTLE!" Amy shouted.

"A bad tempered one at that," Daphne added.

"Nonsense," Fred said, "This is obviously the monster in disguise. Watch."

Fred goes over and starts pulling on Amy's hair.

"This mask won't come off," he huffed trying to pull Amy's "mask" off.

"Ow. Ow. Hey, watch it!" Amy told him.

"Only once you take this mask off," Fred said giving Amy's hair a tug.

Amy snapped. She took her hammer and smacked Fred with it. The gang and Amy watched at Fred fell to the ground.

"I just killed, Fred," Amy murmured then lifted the net up and got out, "Well time to go. Bye everyone."

Amy walked off and left the stunned Scooby Gang and Fred there. A few hours later, Roy Mustang comes across the body. He blinked at it twice and then decided he was seeing things and went home to get some well deserved rest. Meanwhile the rest of the gang went home to celebrate because they no longer had to deal with Fred.

**THANKS FOR READING REMEMBER TO REVIEW**


	4. Bad Luck Bites Again

Tigger: Hi everyone thank you for your great reviews especially **emolsifier, Fuurai, AlmightySquirrelQueen, and The-Living-Shadow**. All of your comments were so great and inspire me so much. And for some reason you all seem to like the fact that Amy has lots of bad luck SO THE BAD LUCK WILL CONTINUE!

Amy: WHAT?!

Tigger: Don't worry you won't have bad luck 24/7

Amy: Thanks

Tigger: (mutters) maybe

Amy: What was that?

Kyla: Nothing! . Anyway I apologize for the seriousness of the next couple of chapters, it was no fun to write :P Please review!

* * *

"STOP IT! BROTHER RUN AWAY!" someone screamed piercing the silence.

Amy scrambled to her feet, all of her fears pushed aside for the moment. She recognized that line. It was what Al had shouted right before Ed was almost killed by Scar. Using some new found energy, Amy dashed towards where she heard the voice. Her breathing became more ragged but she pushed her legs forward. Stopping at the edge of the street, Amy spotted two figures towards the edge of an alley. Amy looked around the corner and saw an unbelievable sight. A few feet away from her sat Edward Elric and standing over him was Scar. Al was lying farther back with half his armor destroyed and screaming for his brother. Amy's breath caught in her throat as she saw the scene before her. Edward and Alphonse Elric were right there; right in front of her they were real. Real as in she could touch them. They were real people and she was here with them. These facts hit her like a ton of bricks and some tears escaped from her eyes. Whether it was from the fact that she was with her all time favorite characters or that she finally realized the world she was in was real, she couldn't tell.

"_I'm really here,"_ she thought with a few more tears escaping her eyes, "_I'm really here. I got sucked into the other side of the gate."_

More tears streamed down her face as Amy took in her situation.

"_They're real. I'm here. I got sucked into a book," _she cried inwardly.

Reality came back to Amy when she saw Scar's hand rest against Ed's forehead ready to blow him up. Amy's eyes widened and her heart beat faster. Without a second thought, Amy raised her hand with the hammer and threw it. It hit Scar's hand with a loud crack. Everyone turned to stare at Amy as she stood there in shock of what she just did.

"WHAT ARE YOU STANDING THERE FOR? RUN!" Ed screamed at her.

Amy tried to comprehend what he said but her feet wouldn't move. Her heart was pounding at in her chest and her whole body began to shake. Seeing his chance, Scar ran forward, his injured hand raised to destroy her.

"MOVE!" Ed shouted.

Snapping back, Amy picked up her feet and ran towards the left. Scar missed and his hand hit a wall. Turning sharply, he raced towards Amy again.

"Too slow," he growled.

Amy didn't dare look back at the man chasing her. Suddenly her foot slipped and she fell forward. Immediately she stuck her hands out to stop the fall and they hit the ground, scarping against the ground as she slid.

"Time to die," Scar said in a deadly tone.

Amy rolled over onto her back to see Scar standing over her. Her heart beat even faster and she felt all the blood drain from her face.

"I'll let you pray now and I am sorry you have to die but it is for the better of the country," he said.

_"I'm going to die. I am going to die. I don't want to die. I'm not ready to go yet."_

Scar's hand began to close in on her face. Thump. Thump. Thump. Amy could hear her heartbeat and the entire world disappeared except for the hand that was going to kill her. Amy faintly heard someone shouting but it was no use. The hand moved closer and to Amy it seemed that time had slowed.

"NO!" Amy screamed squeezing her eyes shut and putting her hands in front of her as a last attempt to protect herself.

BANG!

A gunshot went off. Scar, Edward, Alphonse, and Amy all looked at the source of the noise.

"That's enough," Colonel Roy Mustang ordered holding a pistol in the air. Riza Hawkeye stood to his right, Jean Havoc was to his left, and behind him were more soldiers and a carriage.

Amy's breath caught in her throat. She was saved if only for the moment. Scar turned his attention away from her and moved his hand. Amy recognized this scene. Her mind began to work as she tried to remember what happened next. It was then when she realized this situation she was in. Scar, a mass murderer, was standing right above her and she could die at any second. Trying not to panic any more then she already was, Amy began to scoot backwards and out of Scar's reach. No one noticed her and they continued to talk.

"Colonel," Ed shouted, "This guy is.."

Ed was cut off by Roy.

"The man suspected of killing the state alchemists and no doubt the murders of the Tucker Residence. Am I right?"

Ed glared at Scar while holding the shoulder which led to his nonexistent arm.

"Alchemists are people who twist the laws of nature. They do not obey the natural rights of God and trespass onto God's territory," Scar spoke, "That is why we, the messengers of God, must eliminate them."

"I don't understand what you are saying but if that is true, why are you only targeting State Alchemists?" Mustang asked looking straight at Scar.

"If you interfere, I will kill you. Just like her," Scar warned Mustang while pointing to Amy.

It was then when they noticed that Amy was no longer in the same place. Scar growled as he looked for her. He spotted her trying to hide behind a trash can. Amy eyes caught with his and she felt the blood drain from her face. Scar lunged towards the trash can but a gun shot from Riza stopped him.

"Interesting," was all Mustang said. Then he tossed Riza his gun and put on his alchemy gloves.

"Colonel Mustang!" Riza cried alarmed.

"No one touch him. This one's mine," Roy ordered to his soldiers.

"Mustang.." Scar repeated, "The State Alchemist?"

"That's right," Mustang said holding up his glove, "I am Roy Mustang the Flame Alchemist!"

"For someone who goes against God, who comes forward to receive his punishment," Scar muttered, "Today is a good day!"

Scar ran at Mustang.

"Fool! You know who I am and you still try to fight me!" Mustang yelled about to snap his fingers.

Riza bent down and swung her leg out so the Colonel fell backwards, narrowly missing Scar's hand. Quickly, she pulled out two guns and began to fire at Scar who retreated slightly.

"RIZA!" Roy yelled alarmed.

"You're useless when it's raining," Riza replied bluntly, "Please stay back."

"Oh yeah, you can't make a spark when it's raining," Havoc said looking up at the sky.

Amy giggled slightly at the expression on Mustang's face. She immediately covered her mouth with her hands. Right now was not the best time to draw attention to herself. Not that it mattered, Scar knew where she was hiding anyway but the little trashcan she was crouched next to was the best protection she could find. Her nose wrinkled at the smell of the trashcan and she did her best not to inhale the stench of rotten eggs and fruit. Amy's head peaked out slightly from behind the trash can so she could glimpse at what was happening. In reality she wasn't that far from the fight scene maybe 2 or 3 yards but Amy didn't want to risk going out into the open to find a better hiding place. Being here was weird, she had decided. Although she was terrified she still managed to laugh at the stupid moments that unfolded. Maybe it was a result of being in the manga, nothing could stay serious for too long. A shout from Scar interrupted her thoughts.

"Not only do you come forward willingly but I now know your weakness too," Scar taunted, "State Alchemists and those who interfere with my mission will be annihilated!"

"Try to!" a voice growled before that person launched a punch at Scar's head.

On his fist were brass knuckles with spikes. Scar skidded to the side to avoid the punch.

"Reinforcements," Scar muttered to himself.

"To avoid my attack means you are good. Quite good," the voice said, "But to say you will annihilate everyone here…HOW ABSURD! You fiend who goes against the nation, you must beat me before you even lay a finger on them!"

The person was confident as they lectured Scar and every person in the area look exasperated as they recognized who was speaking. Amy tilted her head to the side to get a better angle. Damn it, why couldn't she remember who was speaking? The gears in her head turned and then Amy's face went blank. Wasn't the person speaking…

"I am the Strong Arm Alchemist. ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG!" Armstrong yelled confidently stepping towards Scar, as the building he had hit crumbled behind him.

"They just keep coming today," Scar said, "This must be divine projection."

"So you will not withdraw," Armstrong said, "Good this way I can show you a technique passed down for generations in the Armstrong family."

He then lifted a large piece of rock and threw it into the air. When it came down, he punched it with his brass knuckles. The rock flew in towards Scar and transformed into a giant arrow. Scar barely moved his head as the arrow embedded itself in the wall behind him.

Unfortunately for Amy that wall just happened to be attached to the building she was crouching next too. When the arrow hit the building, the building shook and pieces came off. Amy looked up just in time to see a windowsill coming her way. Using the balls of her feet she pushed herself forward and landed in a superman position with the cement windowsill missing her feet by centimeters. Amy pulled herself up into a crawling position and that sat down. What was she going to do now? Her only hiding place had been squished and now she was out in the open.

This was all so confusing. She was standing in the middle of a battle that was only supposed to exist in books. What was she doing here? She wasn't anything special. Amy was a bookworm, a laptop geek, and got better grades then the average student, that was it. She had no special powers or fighting ability. Sure, she had wished that she could be zapped into one of her favorite books many times before but being here was an entirely different story. Amy didn't want to die. She didn't want to be killed by Scar or get squished by falling pieces of the building. She wanted to go home. Back to where it was safe and she could be with her family and friends.

"_Stop being such a wussy," _she yelled at herself, "_Whining and complaining aren't going to get anything done. Focus on the details later right now try to find a way not to get yourself killed."_

Amy spotted the military across the street. They were on the opposite side from the battle and they had guns to shoot Scar with which was more then Amy had at the moment. Silently as possible she got up and ran to the other side of the street. The military stood a good 10 feet to the right of her but it was better then before.

"Once more!" Armstrong cried while punching the ground. Sparks and bricks flew in the air as the crack in the ground headed towards Scar. Then giant spikes came out of the ground. Scar used his hand to chop the top off the nearest spike.

Amy let out a yelp as the top of the spike came towards her. She ducked to the left to dodge it but her foot got caught on something and she fell over. The spike embedded itself in the building behind her and Amy struggled to her feet. However, luck wasn't with her as Amy's boot was stuck in a pothole and she couldn't get it out. So Amy was forced to watch the battle while stuck in the middle of the street with her foot stuck in the ground.

"_Why me?"_ she thought as she tried to pull her foot out, "_What does God have against me?"_

Tigger: Poor Amy. Join us next time for more of Amy's adventures. Please review :) Also I got a new dog he's a rescue dog. His name is Roadie which is because he was abandoned on the side of the road and my dad wanted to call him roadkill, HE IS SO CUTE .

**Omake**: This is based off a true story all names have been changed for your saftey. This takes place in my kitchen one afternoon. The people are Cc my little sister, Fifi my littlest sister, and me.

Cc: (is makign ramen in the kitchen on the stove top)

Fifi: Tigger, can you help me with this homework?

Tigger: (playing video game on laptop) NO NO DON'T DIE! Sorry Fifi I can't! NO DON'T GO THAT WAY! NOOO!

Fifi: (walks over to Cc with homework in her hands) Cc can you help me?

Cc: Show it to me.

(Fifi shoves homework forward but it goes under stovetop and catches on fire)

Cc: IT'S ON FIRE!!

Fifi: (still holding paper while its burning) AHHHHHHHHHHH

Tigger: (looks up) OH MY GOD!

Fifi: (paper steadily burning paper) WHAT DO I DO?!

Cc: (slaps Fifi's hand so she drops the paper)

Tigger: NOW THE FLOOR IS BURNING!!

(My mom comes downstairs and see paper and she puts it out with a dishtowel and Tigger, Fifi, and Cc stare at the pile of ashes)

Tigger: So Fifi do you still need help with your homework?


	5. Running Away Solves Everything

Tigger: I'm back! :) Thank you **emolsifier, Fuurai, AlmightySquirrelQueen, and The-Living-Shadow** for your wonderful comments they keep me writing.

Lawyer: Would you happen to be Tigger?

Tigger: It depends, why are you looking for her?

Lawyer: She forgot to put a disclaimer in the first and last chapters.

Tigger: O.O...

Lawyer: But she did admit on her homepage that she did not nor will ever own Full Metal Alchemist or it's characters only Amy, Auntie Senile, and Amy's family. hmmm. Do you know which way she went so I can warn her for next time?

Tigger: She went that way (points in random direction)

Lawyer: Thank you (leaves)

Tigger: That was a close one. Anyway sorry if you don't like this chapter there's alot of drama in it but please stick around cause I promise later chapters will be better.

* * *

"_Why me?"_ she thought as she tried to pull her foot out, "_What does God have against me?"_

"MAJOR!" Havoc yelled at Armstrong, "Please don't destroy too much of the city."

"Destroy?" Armstrong yelled, launching into another speech, "The entire world is made up of destruction and creation. They are both halves of a two sided coin. One can not exist without the other."

" DESTROY AND CREATE!" Armstrong yelled, "THESE ARE THE LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE!"

He then ripped his shirt off to emphasize his point. A spotlight appeared over Armstrong as he stood in there dramatically in front of a very confused Scar. Amy stared in disbelief. She knew it was coming but seriously why the heck did he tear his shirt off? What was that going to do? Was Scar supposed to surrender because he took his shirt off? Wait where the heck did the pink sparkles come from? Amy covered her eyes this scene had already scarred her when she read it in the book but seeing it in real life was torture.

"My eyes," Amy cried rubbing her eyes and momentarily forgetting about her trapped foot, "My poor eyes."

"Why did he take his shirt off?" Havoc asked dumbfounded.

"And why is he using such powerful alchemy?" Riza said.

"As an alchemist, one would not think that is powerful. Isn't that right Scar?" Armstrong asked looking at Scar.

"YOU MEAN HE IS USING ALCHEMY!" Roy shouted.

"I thought so," Ed said.

"There are three parts to alchemy they are knowledge, destruction, and reconstruction," Armstrong explained swinging his fist at Scar who stopped it by holding his hand up, "This guy is stopping at the second part."

"Doesn't that mean he is defying God's will, too?" Havoc spoke.

"Yeah, and all of his targets are State Alchemist, so why.." Mustang trailed off.

"A strong build, light footwork, and strong alchemy," Scar muttered, "This guy might be tough to handle.

Scar backed up into a corner trying to avoid Armstrong's swing.

"You're cornered," Armstrong pointed out.

Then he backed leaving a gap between him and Scar. Scar looked around confused as Riza started to shoot at him. Scar narrowly avoided the bullet but his sunglasses came off.

"I missed," Riza announced while reloading her gun, "I grazed him."

Scar had a deadly glare on his face as he looked up.

"Red eyes and brown skin," Armstrong yelled.

"An Ishvarite!" Amy shouted as she remembered reading this part, "Stop him! He's going to try and escape through the ground!"

It was too late, Scar pressed his hand into the ground and a giant hole appeared.

"AHH!" Amy cried in surprise as the ground beneath her disappeared.

The ground her foot had been in was deconstructed and her foot was set free. But the lower half of her body was in that area too so when the ground vanished Amy began to fall into the hole. Her entire body shot forward due to the lack of ground to support her and Amy fell into the darkness below. She let out a scream and was only saved by a strong hand grabbing her wrist. Amy dangled in the air for a moment only being supported by a hand on her wrist. Her arm began to feel numb as the blood flowed down and her shoulder had a sharp pain. Amy's body began to tremble and her arm hurt like hell. Whoever grabbed her then started pulling Amy upward. The transfer from dangling to being put on solid ground only took a few seconds but Amy's arm protested in pain the entire time. Armstrong lifted her into the air using only one hand and lowered her feet onto the ground. The moment he let go of her wrist Amy collapsed onto the ground. Armstrong looked at her concerned but turned back to the others to decide what to do.

"Don't follow him," Mustang ordered.

"There's no way I would follow someone so dangerous," Havoc told Mustang.

"Sorry, you gave us enough time to surround him but we couldn't catch him," Mustang apologized to Armstrong.

"No, I was just trying to survive," replied Armstrong.

"Is it safe yet?" someone asked.

Amy turned to see Hughes poking his head out from behind a building. Hughes looked both ways and walked over.

"Where have you been the entire time, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?" Armstrong asked.

"I was hiding," Hughes told him while giving him a thumb up.

"You were supposed to provide backup," Mustang growled.

"What did you want me to do?" Hughes asked, "Throw my slingshot at him. I refuse to be part of this nut show."

"Nut.." Roy repeated looking stunned at his prized alchemy being referred to as part of a nut show.

Mentally Amy agreed with Hughes. This was some kind of nut show. What were normal people like her and Hughes doing here? They should be at home with their families not trying to avoid being killed by some guy with an explosive arm and anger management problems. She rubbed her arm gingerly. It still hurt from supporting her entire body weight but she didn't think she pulled anything.

"You guys," Hughes yelled at some soldiers, "I want to see sketches of Scar all over the city right away."

"AL!" Ed screamed running over to his brother, "AL ARE YOU OKAY!"

Al punched Ed in the face and a shocked silence fell over the crowd.

"YOU IDIOT!" Al yelled at his older brother, "WHY DIDN'T YOU RUN AWAY?"

"I couldn't leave you," Ed told him.

"AND THAT'S WHY I CALLED YOU AN IDIOT!" Al screamed punching his brother.

"STOP HITTING ME!" Ed shouted.

Everyone watched as the Elric brothers bickered. It was then that Amy noticed she was shaking. Her whole body trembled and shook from fear. Scar had almost killed her. The image of his hand came back to Amy as she sat there. She had almost died. Someone had almost sent her to death. No one knew what happened after death. Amy's stomach dropped as she thought of death. Amy had come so close to never seeing her family again. What would have happened to her? She would have died in a world where no one knew her or cared about her? Her family would have never known what happened to her? Tears began to slide down her face and Amy pulled her beret down with a shaky hand so it covered her eyes.

"_I almost died,"_ she thought, "_I was so close to never seeing my mom or dad or my sisters again."_

Amy had never been a silent crier. Usually when she felt really upset about something she would sob long and hard. But there had been times when she didn't want any one to know she was upset so she would try to hold the tears back until she found someplace to be by herself and then she would let the tears break loose. Right now was one of those times. Amy didn't want to let these people see her crying. She had to be strong and hold them in. Her mission was to get home and she couldn't do that by crying. Taking a deep breath Amy tried to regain herself. She wiped the tears away and sniffed a couple of times. Amy knew her eyes were probably very red at the moment and she decided to wait a few seconds for the markings of her crying to vanish. When she felt she looked presentable Amy turned to Colonel Mustang.

"Uhmmm…" Amy said in a small voice from her spot on the ground, "Colonel Mustang?"

Roy turned to look at her and Amy almost froze up under his glance. One wouldn't know it from reading but Mustang defiantly had the air of someone important and in command. It made Amy almost regret speaking to him.

"Who are you?" he asked in his solider voice.

"Uhhh" was Amy's response as she was drowned out by Ed and Al's fighting.

"HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY PICK DEATH?" Al continued to yell at his brother.

Then Al's arm broke off.

"Now look at what you did!" Al yelled blaming Ed for his loss of arm.

"Look at us, we're pathetic," Ed said in a quiet voice.

"But we're alive," Al pointed out.

"Yeah, we're alive," Ed agreed.

Amy spotted her hammer near Edward. Immediately she ran over to get it. Amy didn't really understand why but she had the feeling she would regret it if she lost it. Picking it up with her non-injured hand she cradled it against her chest.

"My hammer," she spoke quietly, "Auntie would have killed me if I had lost this."

Ed turned to look at her. He had a coat draped around his shoulders courtesy of Riza. The two of them made eye contact.

Amy almost gasped he really did have golden eyes. They were so beautiful and bright. His hair was also the same gold color and seemed to shine even in the gloom.

"Hey you alright?" he asked.

Amy looked at him. Slowly she bent down to his level on the ground. She cocked her head to the side and looked at him from that angle. Was the person in front of her really there? Was Edward Elric just a figment of ink and paper? She had to know. She just had to reach out and touch him, just to confirm it. Two little voices argued in the back of her head. But Amy just had to know.

"_It's for my own good,"_ she told herself.

Amy swallowed and with a trembling hand she reached out and touched his face. It was cold but defiantly real.

"What are you doing?" Edward asked confused.

Amy immediately pulled her hand back. Dozens of pictures flew through her mind: her mom making cookies, her dad pushing her sisters on the swing, her friends and her laughing, Amy reading the first FMA book. Then her mind flashed to the truth, the gate, the black imps, and her falling. Amy's body began to shake. Without realizing it she stood up and began to back away.

"No, no," she whispered fearfully.

What was Edward Elric doing here? He couldn't possibly be real. No, this had to be a dream. Somewhere inside Amy she knew this wasn't a dream. Amy grabbed the sides of her head. What was going on? This was a dream right? Why did she almost get killed? She had almost died. Amy squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to make the images go away. The soldiers, Ed, and Al were all looking at her. Why? They shouldn't be here. She shouldn't be here. None if this made sense. Her heartbeat began to rise again.

"Hey you alright?" someone asked and reached out a hand to touch her.

"NO!" Amy screamed backing away.

She was afraid of them confirming her fear. That she was really here. What was going on? Hadn't she already accepted they were real? She had, she even accepted the fact that she was in another world. But when she touched Ed, Amy realized just how real this world was and it scared her. She was terrified. Amy's back touched the alley wall. She had no where to go.

"NO!" Amy shouted again and this time took off running.

Everyone looked at her surprised but Amy didn't slow down. She ran around the stunned soldiers. She had to get away from here, she just had to. This wasn't real. But Ed, Ed had felt so real.

"HEY WAIT!" Ed shouted at her.

Amy choked up. Why couldn't Ed be quiet? He was just confirming her fears. The soldiers began to grasp the situation and a few tried to grab her but Amy wiggled out of their way. She almost made it past the soldiers when a line of fire appeared in front of Amy. Amy gasped and tried to skid to a stop. Her feet slipped on the wet ground and flew out from under her and she fell on her butt. Colonel Mustang walked over and stood in front of her. Stunned Amy couldn't even move.

"Hey why did you run off like that?" Ed asked coming over, "You know we aren't going to hurt you?"

Amy shook her head and pulled her knees into her chest. Why didn't they just go away?

"_What am I doing here?" _Amy asked herself, "_Why am I running away? This is no time for me to be doubtful. They are real. I have to accept this."_

Slowly, Amy began to become less tense and her arms loosened their hold on her legs.

"_They are here," _she told herself, "_I need to accept this. I need to get over this or I won't get home."_

However saying something and doing something are two separate things. Amy looked up at the soldiers who were all watching her warily. Edward stood over her and was looking down at her.

"Eep," Amy made a small sound and went back to her fetal position.

"_I'm in another world," _she thought, "_Edward Elric is right in right in front of me and I almost got killed by Scar. THIS IS SO NOT HAPPENING!"_

It was then that Amy made her decision. She wasn't going to run away. Ever since she was little Amy had been afraid of many things such as needles and meeting new people but not anymore! It was scary being here and being by herself but being scared wasn't going to make things better.

"_But," _she argued with herself, "_This is so unreal. There's no way this could be true…but I know it's real."_

Accepting the fact that she got transported to an alternative dimension with the Full Metal Alchemist characters was going to take more then a couple of minutes. But she needed to do this if she wanted to see her friends or family ever again. Taking a shaky breath Amy looked up.

"Hey you okay?" Ed repeated his question.

If this turned out to all be a bad dream then Amy would have lost nothing right? But if this was real, which Amy felt it was, then she needed to do this. She needed to face her fears and stand strong. Her mom and dad weren't there to help her, they weren't there to protect her. She was on her own for this one. Amy loosened her legs and looked up at Ed. She avoided flinching at the fact that Edward Elric was talking to her and carefully chose her words for the response.

"I'm the best I can be at the moment," Amy answered truthfully.

* * *

Tigger: Like I said before too much drama for me. Also I noticed Amy's lack of bad luck in this chapter unless you count almost getting burned by Mustang or falling in a ditch.

Amy: THAT'S BAD LUCK!

Tigger: Really, I wouldn't think so. Please review.

**Omake: **This Omake is about me and my friend Cherry (fake name) playing Zelda Ocrina of Time on the nintendo 64.

Cherry: And this is the ranch.

Tigger: Look chickens (makes link run over to them and he steps on one)

The screen goes silent and there is a zoom in on the chicken who glares at Link and then sqwaks and all of the chickens galre at Link angerily.

Cherry: Run, Link run!

Tigger: Wh...OMG THE CHICKENS ARE ATTACKING RUN LINK RUN

Tigger makes Link run around like a crazy person trying to avoid killer chickens while screaming.

Cherry: They just keep coming back!

Tigger: AHHHH! EVIL CHICKENS! (makes link pull out sword and try to attack but all that happens is chickens get more angry and attack)

Tigger and Cherry watch as Link gets beaten to death by chickens.

Tigger:...I just got killed by evil chickens...


	6. Do I look like a spy to you?

Tigger: Hey everyone I'm back! Thank you so much for all those who read my stories and especially **The-Living-Shadow, Fuurai, emolsifier, **and**Call-me-Lie-chan** who reviewed my stories. I also want to thank **furuba8080** and **rae12391** for adding my story to their favorites.

Ed: No one wants to hear you thank them just get on with the story.

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! People liked being thanked so there.

Ed: But they're not here for you to thank them.

Tigger: Then what are they here for?

Ed: To read about me!

Tigger: (cough) cocky much (cough)

Ed: I HEARD THAT!

Al: But brother Tigger-san doesn't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characters. All she owns is Amy, Auntie Senile, and Amy's family. So if they wanted to read about you and me they would just read the manga Full Metal Alchemist.

Amy: Which means they're here to read about me.

Tigger: No, they're here to see how much misfortune I make you run into. (Amy glares) And without further ado I present the 6th chapter of No One Would Believe Me.

* * *

"I'm glad. It would be awful if you got hurt because of me," Ed apologized and held out his left hand because the right one was in pieces all over the alley.

Amy looked at the hand but pushed herself off the ground, she didn't want to touch Ed again. She avoided the glances of the other soldiers as they saw she wasn't going to run away and went back to work.

"No, I shouldn't have interfered. But I just saw you guys and I just did the first thing that came to mind," Amy admitted trying to get the attention away from her.

"I could have been dead, so thanks for doing that," Ed smiled at Amy.

Amy's heart beat faster and she felt some heat rise to her face.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" Mustang asked coming towards her, "And why did you run away? All citizens are supposed to be inside."

"I was on a train and no one told me," Amy replied, "I ran away because I was scared. I didn't know what was going on and I just wanted to get away."

Mustang nodded believing Amy's lies. Well, half lies she had a more extreme reason for running away.

"Resisting military arrest is a crime," Mustang told her.

"I'm under arrest?!" Amy squeaked surprised at the turn of events.

Amy could feel the blood draining from her face, she hadn't been expecting this. Mary Sues didn't get arrested so why was she going to be arrested? Amy couldn't go to jail she wouldn't last and what kind of reputation would that give her? Never mind reputations how could she get home from her world? What if she had to spend the rest of her life in jail? No, they wouldn't do that, right? It wasn't really much of a crime if what she did was considered a crime at all. Maybe they would only put her in for thirty days. But what about her world? Was time the same there? If so what would her parents say when she was missing for over thirty days? Not to mention Amy had no idea how long it would take her to find a way home.

"No, but I'm warning you," Mustang said in a severe note.

Inwardly Amy let out a sigh of relief. Her panic went away for a moment when she realized that she wouldn't have to spend days on end inside a jail cell. No less then ten seconds after that moment of peace did all of Amy's worries come back. She was right back at the point she had been ten minutes ago! Damn, this was frustrating. It was like thinking you were almost out of the woods just to realize you had just been traveling in circles. She was no closer to home then she had been when she first got here. All that happened was that she had almost been killed multiple times, seen a dead guy, and had multiple panic attacks. Amy tried to clear her thoughts. At least Mustang was there. Maybe he could help her. Amy looked up at Mustang. Suddenly her nervousness came back too. Why was she so scared, she knew these people. Well she read about them and seen them on television. But they didn't know her. Amy felt like she couldn't act like herself right now. Why couldn't she be brave and outgoing like her friend Emma? Or why couldn't she think of a clever plan like her friend Samantha? The answer was simple, because she was Amy. The manga nerd, reading obsessed, short tempered Amy. She wasn't Emma or Samantha. She wasn't brave or clever, she read about people who were brave and clever. Her parents always told her to be herself but what good was it being herself at a time like this?

"_I'm being a chicken again,"_ she thought, "_Didn't I just make a promise to myself not be afraid? I can't get home if I'm scared. So I can be as nervous as I want but I still got to get up and do something about it."_

Feeling a little braver because of the pep-talk with herself, Amy looked Mustang in the eyes. Her stomach fluttered nervously and she wanted to shrink back into her shell, but she asked anyway.

"Uhmm," Amy spoke afraid of asking her question although she knew the answer, "You're Colonel Mustang, right?"

Mustang nodded in confirmation as he eyed her warily.

Taking the note out of her pocket, "This is for you."

Amy held out the paper and Mustang looked at her and then took it. She almost sighed because she was glad that he had accepted the note, but Amy caught herself in time. She wasn't very good with new people and there was a big difference between reading about people and meeting them. When Amy was reading FMA at home she would often picture herself in the scenes of the book and how she would react. Now that she was here, Amy was overly self conscious and shy.

"You are a most noble young lad!" Armstrong announced suddenly appearing behind Amy and giving her a pat on the back which almost threw her back out.

"No, no not really," Amy stuttered trying to back away from the shirtless Armstrong. She didn't think it was safe to be too close to the emotional man.

"BUT YOU ARE!" Armstrong shouted tearfully, "Doing what you could to help these boys, you would make a fine knight!"

"uhmmm," Amy had no clue what to say to that comment.

They thought she was a boy. This had never happened to her at home and Amy didn't want to burst Armstrong's bubble. She was feeling nervous enough already.

In a quiet voice she said, "You do know I'm a girl, right?"

Immediately, everyone turned to look at her and Amy regretted her actions. She didn't like them staring at her, it was creepy.

"Really?" Havoc said, "I assumed cause of the way you were dressed…"

"Someone gave me these clothes," Amy said defensively.

"How old are you anyway?" Hughes questioned.

"12"

"13"

"11"

The soldiers yelled out their guesses. Amy's shyness began to melt away and was replaced by anger. Back at home she had always been known for her quick temper but no one knew that here.

"I'M 15!!" Amy yelled angrily, "I AM A 15 YEAR OLD GIRL!"

"You don't look 15," Ed stated staring at her.

"Neither do you," Amy snapped at him.

"HEY WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE LOOKS LIKE HE SHOULD BE IN GRADE SCHOOL!"

"You thought I was a boy!"

"You're dressed like one!" Ed retorted.

"Girl," Mustang said tearing Amy's attention away from Ed, "Who exactly gave you those clothes?"

"Auntie Senile," Amy answered feeling shy once again under Mustang's stare, "Her real name is Alicia."

Mustang looked at the letter in his hands and the words doom floated over his head.

"That women is back to haunt me," he said depressed.

Everyone was staring at the depressed Mustang.

"Sir?" one of the soldiers spoke to him, "Sir, what should we do?"

"Right," Mustang said straightening up, "Clean this place up. Someone help Ed get Al into the car."

He turned to look at Amy. Amy's manners kicked in when she realized she hadn't told them her name yet.

"My name is Amy," she introduced herself.

"Amy, follow Ms. Hawkeye into the car," he ordered.

Amy nodded and followed Riza into the car. She sat in the back and Ed sat next to her. Havoc put Al in on the other side of Ed and sat in the driver's seat while Riza sat next to him. The car started and everyone was silent as they made their way to headquarters. It was squished in the back. Ed was practically sitting in the hole in Al's armor and Ed's right side was next to Amy's arm. Her backpack was also digging into her back and she held the hammer tightly across her chest. Amy's heartbeat was going a mile a minute. She wasn't out of the woods yet. She needed to persuade these people to help her so that she could get home; but things were easier said then done especially since Amy still felt very awkward to be here. At home she would always feel shy in new situations, like the first day of high school, but if she had a friend with her, Amy would perk up immediately and act like her regular self. However, Amy highly doubted she would find any of her friends on this side of the gate.

"Amy, right?" Al questioned, "Why do you have a hammer?"

Amy looked at Al. She hadn't been expecting to talk to him since the brothers probably had other things on their minds. Looking at the hammer gave Amy a little bit of confidence because it felt like Auntie was with her and so far Auntie was the closest thing she had in this world.

"Auntie gave it to me to protect myself," Amy explained looking at the hammer, "I never thought I would actually save someone else with it."

At that last comment, a smile tugged at Amy's lips.

"Your aunt gave you a hammer?" Ed said in disbelief.

"She's not really my Aunt. I just call her that. She saved me and gave me the money to come here."

"Why did you come here anyway?" Havoc inquired glancing over his shoulder.

"Auntie said that Colonel Mustang would be able to help me. Apparently he worked with her son and husband."

Out of nowhere, Amy's stomach growled. Her face grew red with embarrassment.

"When's the last time you ate?" Riza implored.

It took Amy a second to rethink. The last time she ate was at the old lady's house yesterday. Wow had it really been so little time since she woke up in this world? It made sense but at the same time Amy didn't think she had lived a longer two days in her entire life.

"Yesterday, I think," Amy finally responded to Riza, "It's hard to tell with the time change."

"Time change?" Ed repeated confused.

"We're here," Havoc interrupted.

He then got out of the car and went to help Al out. Amy stepped out of her side and glanced up at the military headquarters. It was huge! There were huge columns and lots of steps leading up to the main entrance. Windows went from one corner of the building to the other.

"Hurry up!" someone told Amy.

Amy looked over to see Havoc and Riza dragging Al inside and Ed was following them. Quickly, Amy jogged over to them and trailed them as they went inside. She was led down a bunch of halls until she could no longer tell you which way she came from. Then Riza opened a door and the rest of the group entered the room. The room had three rows of desks. Each row had two sets of desks facing each other with a board in-between so that one wouldn't be able to see the person across from them. There was a desk at the head of the room and behind it was a large banner with the symbol of the military on it. Ed settled on top of one of the desks and Havoc put Al on the floor next to him.

"Wait here," Riza ordered before she left the room.

"What are we all doing here?" Amy asked once Riza was gone.

"We're probably going to discuss what happened today and what not," Havoc answered taking another drag from his cigar, "Probably going to find out what's the deal with you too."

"The deal with me?" Amy asked pointing to herself.

"Yeah, not many people just show up and save up an alchemist for no reason."

"I didn't save him," Amy objected, "I just threw my hammer at Scar."

"That's considered saving," Havoc injected.

There was a loud clang as the overly large doors banged open and the others began to enter the room. Mustang took a seat at the desk at the head of the room and everyone else settled into various seats. Riza brought up the rear and before sitting down she handed Amy something. It was long and wrapped in foil. Curious, Amy unwrapped it and she was holding what looked like a giant breadstick. Mustang surveyed the room before explaining to everyone what the Ishavalans were and how he and other alchemists had to fight as human weapons in a war against them. Amy didn't pay that much attention because she already knew that.

"He's just using that God crap as an excuse to take out vengeance," Ed stated bluntly, "There's no justice in killing innocent people."

"That's true, but someone who has that much hate for alchemy and is so powerful, is someone to fear," Hughes informed them, "The one who doesn't care about who gets killed as long as they reach their goals are the deadliest."

"It doesn't matter. The next time we meet there will be no talking," Mustang told us, "We will take him down."

There was a pause as they let Mustang's powerful words sink in.

"Well," Hughes spoke breaking the silence, "Here's the end of that boring subject. Now onto tomboy over there."

The men and Riza turned to look at Amy who was still trying to figure out what she was holding. She hadn't realized the conversation had switched to her.

"Amy," someone spoke to her, "What are you doing?"

Amy took notice of the curious eyes looking at her for the first time and she felt herself turn a little red.

"Trying to figure out what this is," she told them embarrassed.

"That's a cheese-stick."

"Really ?" Amy said looking at in disbelief, "This doesn't look like any cheese-stick I've ever had."

"Just take a bite out of it," Breda sighed, "You'll see."

Amy looked at the supposed cheese-stick warily. Then she took a small bite out of it. It tasted like the cheese calzones her sister liked to eat. The thought of her little sisters made Amy choke up so she took another bite out of the cheese-stick so no one would see.

Mustang cleared his throat gathering everyone's attention and then started speaking, "The letter doesn't tell us much about you, Amy. All it says that Alicia is counting on us to help you."

It was silent for a second before Amy said "I need to get home."

"That's all?" Breda interjected, "We need to help you find your house."

"It's not that simple," Amy tried to explain without sounding crazy, "I'm not from around here."

"You mean you're a foreigner?" Al asked.

"No, not really, I guess," Amy struggled trying to find the right words, "Look I've only been in this world for less then 48 hours and I need to find a way home."

"Wait, what do you mean world?" Ed inquired.

Amy paused. She should tell them the truth? Would they believe her? Even Amy doubted her own story why would people who don't even know her, believe her? Amy knew all of them but they didn't know one thing about her. To them, she was just a random girl who happened to show up at a bad time and swing a hammer at a mass murderer. Not exactly a great first impression. Then she tells them that she was sent to go find them and hands them a note from someone she called Auntie Senile. It was a wonder they hadn't actually put her in jail yet or taken her in for questioning. It must have had something to do with Auntie Senile's letter.

"_But what would they say if I told them the truth?"_ Amy wondered nervously.

It's not like they trusted her that much. She had already tried running away from them. That made her look suspicious enough. Amy could hit herself for doing something so stupid. She could play innocent like so many characters she had read about in fanfics, but eventually they would find out the truth and then Amy would be in bigger trouble. Amy's stomach did a nervous flip flop. She would tell them now and get it over with. It would be better if the break was simple and clear right? Well at least that was true about broken bones. Nervously Amy swallowed and tried to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

"I'm not exactly from this side of the gate," Amy whispered as if it would make what she said less worse.

"THIS SIDE OF THE GATE!" screamed Ed and Al.

"Yeah, there's more then one world and they're connected by the gate," Amy explained trying to get this over with as fast as possible, "For instance in my world you guys are in a series of books called Full Metal Alchemist. Ed and Al are the main characters."

"A SERIES OF BOOKS!" everyone in the room shouted except for Mustang who shouted "WHY AM I NOT THE MAIN CHARACTER?"

"I don't believe you," Ed huffed, "Prove it to me."

Amy looked at him dead in the eye. People could call her anything they wanted but saying she was dishonest made Amy really angry. Didn't he know how hard this was already? She took pride in telling the truth and being reliable. Edward accusing of her of lying just for attention even though she just saved his sorry ass infuriated her.

"_Well I didn't really save him,"_ she thought, _"Mustang would have saved him anyway…BUT STILL! Calling me a liar is just unacceptable!"_

"You're name is Edward Elric. You're 15 years old and Alphonse Elric is your younger brother, he's 14. Including your antenna and boots you reach a height of 5 foot and 4 inches though without those you're only 4 feet 11 inches. You hate milk and love stew. When you were young, your father walked out on you, Alphonse and your mom. Then your mom died when you were still a little kid so you and Alphonse tried to bring her back. Alphonse lost his entire body and you lost your leg. Then you sacrificed your arm to put Alphonse into that suit. Winry and Pinako are your mechanics and Winry is your childhood friend. She lost her parents in the war and Pinako is her grandma," Amy read off the facts from her brain not removing her glare from Ed, "I also know the name of every single person in this room and could tell you something about them too. For instance, Hughes (here she pointed to Hughes) works in Central but came down here to take Tucker to trial for making a chimera out of his daughter, Nina."

There was a shocked silence as everyone absorbed what Amy just said. Amy looked at all of them, hoping they would believe her. She needed them to believe her or she would never find a way home. She had told them the truth plain and simple but if they didn't believe her Amy was doomed. Amy couldn't survive in a world she knew nothing about and she didn't want to live here. She wanted to go home and see her family and friends and go back to the way things were.

"Either she's telling the truth or she's a spy," Riza confirmed.

"No, you have to believe me. I'm not a spy!" Amy pleaded.

"That's exactly what a spy would say," Armstrong announced.

"It's exactly what an innocent person would say too!" Amy argued.

"Her accent does sound a bit weird," Ed noted.

"What's wrong with the way I speak?!" Amy demanded angrily, where did Ed get away with making fun of the way she talked.

"You don't pronounce your –ings," he stated, "You say –in instead."

"Yeah well your accent sounds funny to me short stuff," Amy huffed.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE CAN ONLY BE SEEN UNDER A MICROSCOPE!" Ed yelled at her angrily.

"You stupid, or were you too short to hear that?" Amy asked crossly.

She knew she was attacking Ed's weakness but in her mind he deserved it. Didn't anyone ever teach him manners? Besides if he didn't want people to call him short he shouldn't make such a big deal out if it.

Ed practically blew up. His face turned red from anger and Amy could guess how close he was to attacking her.

"She is kind of young to be a spy," Fuery objected ignoring Ed glaring at Amy who glared just as angrily back at him.

"You can never tell these days," Havoc commented, "I mean no one thinks of Ed as a state alchemist but he is one."

Fuery, Falman, Breda, and Hughes nod their heads in agreement.

"I AM NOT A SPY!" Amy objected, tearing herself away from sending Ed reproachful looks.

"Can you prove it?" Mustang asked her.

"huh?" Amy inclined.

"Can you prove it?" Mustang elaborated, "If you can tell me something that isn't in military records, we may believe you."

Amy thought this over. What could she say that would prove her right? It had to be something that they wouldn't list in his records or something that made it seem like she was stalking the Elrics. Maybe something from when they were little. Images of Al and Ed when they were younger flashed through her mind. She knocked off each idea as they popped up because they were too general or not significant enough. Finally she picked one. It was from the anime but she heard her friend mention something about it in later chapters. Praying this would work, Amy gave them her answer.

"When Ed and Al were little, after their mother died, they were studying alchemy in the father's library," she told them, "Al confessed he was worried about the human transmutation and thought they may turn their mom into this fly-creature like he saw in a movie."

"I remember that," Al said, "I remember that movie too."

"Now either she's been spying on the Elrics since she was a child or I think Amy is telling the truth," Mustang declared.

"I don't know about you but I believe her," Havoc spoke.

The others agreed nodding their heads. Amy let out a sigh of relief. One part down now all that was left was the hard part, finding a way home.

* * *

Tigger: YEAH I FINISHED IT!

Amy: Does it really take you that long to type this?

Tigger: No a lot of effort goes into editing. I spend so much time rereading this story and adding stuff it's sad.

Amy: What kind of stuff?

Tigger: Emotions mostly. I write what I want to happen and then I go in fill it in to make it more real.

Ed: What's with the interview? No one wants to hear about some author of a fanfic.

Tigger: JERK! (hits Ed with hammer)

Amy: I think I know where my hammer comes from now.

Tigger: Yeah well I wanted to give you an unusual weapon. It just so happens I own a plastic hammer.

Amy: What about my short temper?

Tigger: I have a short temper so its hard for me to write about people who don't have short tempers.

Ed: Why did you make her so much taller then me?

Tigger: No Ed I just made her normal height. You're just short. Plus too many Mary sues are shorter than you (no offense to anyone with a short character)

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE CAN BE OFFICIALLY LICENSED AS A MIDGET!

Amy: Is that possible?

Al: Yes if you are under a certain height requirement you are officially declared a midget by the government.

Tigger: Al, when did you get here?

Al: Just now. I couldn't fit through the door.

Tigger: Oh sorry about that.

Al: It's no problem.

Ed: HEY DON'T JUST IGNORE ME! (hit with hammer by Tigger)

Amy: Since Ed is out cold I think we should end this interview and get out of here before he wakes up.

Tigger: Right behind you. (Al, Tigger, and Amy run away leaving poor Ed on the floor)


	7. Military Questioning Is Not Fun

Tigger: Hey I'm back. Whoot okay first off let's thank our wonderful reviewers **Fuurai** and **Call-me-Lie-chan**. YEAH FOR THE ONLY TWO PEOPLE THAT COMMENTED! I also want to thank **bobbinbird** who added me too his/her story alert. You guys make me feel special.

Ed: Don't you usually get more reviewers?

Tigger: Maybe they were busy. Besides at least someone commented.

Al: Isn't this the seventh chapter and you only have 16 reviews?

Tigger: That's 16 more then I expected.

Ed: If you say so.

Tigger: BE QUIET ED! Anyway thanks for reading. This chapter is a bit longer then my usual ones so enjoy cause it took forever to edit.

Ed: Shouldn't you be studying or something instead of writing fanfics.

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! (glares at him)

Al: Uhmm Tigger does not own nor will she ever own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characters. She does own Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile. (Al is hit in the back of the head with a hammer)

Tigger: DON'T DO THE DISCLAIMER WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! Anyway enjoy the chapter.

* * *

"DO YOU KNOW HOW TO GET THE PHILSOPHER STONE THEN?" Ed practically bursted and forgetting his anger for the moment.

"Well, I do in the anime but we're in the manga right now so I don't know," Amy replied a little sharply because she was still annoyed at Ed.

Ed's face fell, "What the hell is a manga and an anime?"

"An anime is a television show usually based off a manga. A manga is a Japanese comic book. Technically you guys are a boy's manga but lots of girls read it too," Amy said sounding more like a dictionary then a person.

More stunned faces.

"You have a lot of fangirls," Amy added.

She really had no clue why she just said that. Maybe because she wanted to prove her point or she may have just wanted to see Ed's reaction. Or maybe because she was still mad at him for accusing of her of being a liar and than asking her if she knew about the Philosopher's stone without apologizing.

"Fangirls?" Ed asked.

The look on Ed's face was priceless when he said that. His mouth dropped open in surprise and his eyebrow twitched dangerously. Amy attempted to hold in laughing. She couldn't stay mad at Ed when he had a face like that, it was too funny. Plus as a fan of the series, Amy should know that Ed said mean things all the time without realizing it. He just lacked social skills like that. Amy decided to forgive him this once, but if Ed ever said that to her again Scar would not be the only one to feel the wrath of her hammer.

"Yeah, thousands of them and some are really crazy for you while others are more normal," she told him.

Amy briefly wondered if she should tell him just how crazy some of the fans were. She decided against it. A mentally scarred Ed was of no use to her.

"Let me get this straight there are thousands of girls on the other side of the gate who know me as a book character and are my fans," Ed said in disbelief.

"Al has just as many," Amy told him.

Al's face blushed.

"Wow," he said, "I have fans."

"Anyway," Mustang said trying to draw the conversation away from the talk of fangirls, "Tell us how you got here. Then we could tell help figure out a way to get home."

Amy relayed the story to them all the way up to when she found the dead guy. When she mentioned him she felt her stomach do a horrible twist and regretted eating the cheese-stick. She stopped talking and her voice seemed to fail her.

"Hey you okay?" Fuery asked her.

Amy took a deep breath and tried to push the images away. Her voice was caught in her throat. It felt like something was blocking it and she tried to swallow and push it away. She opened and closed her mouth several times but no sound came out. Her breathing was loud and it felt like something was pressing against her chest.

She had seen a dead guy. A guy with no head, well at least one not attached to his body. Her stomach did some more funny twists. Her eyes began to sting and Amy tried her hardest not to cry.

"There's some dead guy in the middle of the streets," she said in a strangled voice while trying not to think about it too much.

"How do you know he's dead?" Havoc asked.

"He.." Amy's word faltered as her stomach twisted again, "Him,.his...head was not attached."

Tears leaked out of Amy's eyes as the image of the dead body came back to her. Her chest went up and down more rapidly now and the picture kept reappearing in her eyes. Tears leaked out of her eyes and Amy closed them tightly trying too push the memories away.

"_Go away," _she yelled at them, "_Go away. Leave me alone! GO AWAY!"_

Her muscles tightened and hands curled into fists. Amy's nails pressed deeply into the skin. Her arms shook and her body tensed even more. She uncurled both hands and used them to grab the other arms and hugged herself protectively. Amy felt sick. No she felt worse then sick, she was disgusted and scared. At home Amy couldn't look at fake organs on television, how could she look at real ones?

It was all so vivid in her mind. The body looking so peaceful until you came to the neck, where blood and tissue seeped out trying to escape from the body that once held it. A bit farther away from the body, resided the head. It had been covered in blood with holes in it from which blood had poured out. The eyes were glazed over but still held the shock the guard must have head. There had been something oozing out of the holes in his head and the vertebra could be seen from where the decapitated head was, looking like it had been cut off badly with a chainsaw. Pieces of flesh were spewed all over the area. The worse part being how much the body stunk. Amy didn't think she could ever forget that smell no matter how much she wanted to.

Amy wiped the falling tears away with her hands. She was disturbed and disgusted and wanted more then anything to forget it.

"The guard who came to get us," Ed murmured, "Scar blew his head off."

"That's the guy," Amy's voice came out in little more then a whisper, "I tripped over the dead body."

"That your first time seeing a real dead body?" Breda stated more then asked.

He didn't need to say anything, it was obvious. Besides what did he mean the first time? Where Amy had come from the only places where she said dead bodies was on TV. Was it normal to see dead bodies, here? While living here did that mean Amy would have to grow used to the images of the dead, the bloody, the mutilated? Over time would it become a normal thing for her to no longer to cry about the dead ones and to simply move on acting like nothing was wrong? If that was what this time was like Amy wanted to go home now more then ever. She didn't ever want to live in a place where death was considered normal and crying over something liked that would seem stupid.

Her body gave another violent shake and Amy became aware that she had started to dig her nails into her palms.

"_I want to go home,"_ she cried in her mind, "_I want to go home. I want my mom to hug me and my dad to tell me that everything will be okay. I want to be comforted and loved and for them to make this all seem like a horrible nightmare that I'll forget within a few hours. I want to go home."_

It was a selfish wish and Amy knew that but she couldn't help but want it. She couldn't help but desire the safety and warmth of her own family and house. Amy liked feeling safe and knowing nothing would happen to her but here it was different. Nothing felt safe and Amy knew how dangerous this world was. She had grown up a sheltered life and being thrust into a world like this was downright cruel. It was like pushing a baby bird out of the nest before it could fly and then hoping that why it was falling it would learn to fly. Amy had to learn to fly or else she would smash into the ground. But what did she have to learn? Confidence for one there was no way Amy could continue being shy and failing to speak up. She needed to learn how to be mature and plan for herself because there were no teachers here to teach her and no parents here to help her. Most importantly Amy had to become independent, she could only rely on a few people in this world and they all had their own problems so she would need to learn to do stuff on her own.

Amy nodded answering the question and tried to focus on the task at hand. She relayed the rest of her story to Mustang who sat there taking it all in.

"That's interesting," was all Mustang had to offer.

"You have no idea on how to get me home, do you?" Amy asked bluntly when he didn't offer her a solution.

"Of course I do," Mustang shouted standing on his desk and pointed his finger towards the sky.

They all looked at him expectantly.

"Okay," he admitted, "I have no idea."

Everyone anime fell except Amy who looked at that in amusement. She had never seen people fall over like that in real life only in manga she read. So one could imagine how hilarious it was to her.

"That's so cool," she exclaimed, "I want to be able to anime fall too."

She screwed up her face in concentration and then imitated them by falling over.

"I did it," she cheered proud of her little accomplishment.

"What's an anime fall?" Havoc asked Hughes who just shrugged.

"Why doesn't she travel with the Elrics," Riza suggested ignoring the previous scene, "They're looking for the Philosopher's stone that could probably open the gate and get her home."

"That's how it worked in the movie," Amy said mostly to herself "That means it might work here."

The Philosopher's stone could probably get Amy home no problem but the question was how would she get the Philosopher's stone? Ed and Al had been searching for years and they only found dead ends. Besides Amy was pretty sure Ed and Al would not want her taking the stone from them. Not that she would, if Amy ever found the stone she would give it to Al first. It was only fair and Amy couldn't help but feel bad for him. Once or twice Amy had tried to imagine what it would be like to not feel anything. But no matter how hard she tied she couldn't get it. She would always feel hot or cold or the floor beneath her feet or her chest rising and falling. Amy could feel the texture of books and smell food and tell if you something was soft or hard but Al couldn't feel any of that and it made Amy feel sad for him. It was almost like being dead except Al wasn't dead. Amy could also put herself in Ed's shoes. Whether she acted like it or not Amy was a big sister and she knew what it felt like to be responsible for them. If something like that had ever happened to one of her sisters she didn't think she could ever forgive herself. She could imagine the guilt Ed must have felt when it happened and when she put it in that perspective it wasn't too hard to see why Ed is doing what he is.

"What movie?" Ed said looking at her and snapping Amy out of her thoughts.

"I can't say," Amy answered immediately recognizing the consequences of messing with the plot "But Ed if you are ever in a fight with someone whatever you do, don't stop and stare okay?"

"Why?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"No reason," Amy replied quickly.

She couldn't tell Ed and Al what would happen it would just mess up the plot and besides she wasn't sure how the manga unfolded. What if she told them something and it only happened in the anime and if the Elric's listened to her there could be serious consequences.

"What are the Elric brothers going to do now?" Hughes questioned.

"There going to go visit Ed's mechanic," Amy answered, happy to know the answer to that question.

Amy liked being right and getting straight A's so sometimes if she knew if she knew an answer it would just slip off her tongue. This was one of those times.

Ed and Al looked at her and Amy felt her face burn up. Whoops. She had just embarrassed herself.

"Is it true brother?" Al asked him.

"Yeah, I need to go see Winry," Ed looked at Amy, "It's a bit scary how you knew my answer before I said it."

Amy looked at her the floor, it suddenly became very interesting.

"Without his automail Ed is.." Riza trailed off.

"A kid with a rotten tongue." Havoc interrupted.

"A bratty midget." Hughes stated.

"Worthless. Just worthless." Mustang said getting his revenge.

"Sorry, brother I can't do anything," Al apologized.

"THAT'S BULLYING!" Ed screamed at his co-workers who were enjoying tormenting him.

Amy started laughing hysterically at Ed's comment. This was easily one hundred times better then the manga.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" Ed yelled at her.

"Yes it is," she laughed, "It's funny because it's true."

"HEY!"

Amy finished laughing and wiped away the tears that formed from laughing too much.

"And here I was thinking that it was funny in the manga," she said.

"Just how much of the manga did you read?" Mustang asked her distainfully.

He did not like to think of himself as the just the character of some book. Then again who would? Amy didn't think she would like it if someone told her she was just a character in a book but Amy had to tell them. How else could she explain what she knew?

"About two more pages after this," Amy answered, "For all I know you could all blow up in the next chapter."

They all looked at her horrorstruck.

"Hey I was joking," Amy tried to explain, "Don't worry you don't blow up."

They let out a sigh of relief.

"At least I hope you don't," Amy added in a small voice.

They all looked at her with fearful expressions. It was silent for a moment before Mustang started a new conversation.

"Now that we know the whole story," Mustang said, "Tell us more about yourself, Amy."

"Why?" she asked.

What would they want to know about her? Amy was nothing special. Well at least back home she wasn't. Here she was a dimension traveling girl who knew their entire lives before they knew her name.

"You know about all of us it only seems fair," Mustang pointed out,

Breda, Falman, Fuery, Hughes, and Havoc nodded in agreement. Riza was watching the scene from the corner of her eye and Ed and Al were staring at her.

"It's equivalent exchange," Ed said.

"I would like to know more about you if you will be traveling with us," Al said.

It did seem fair. Amy knew all about them so it was only natural they wanted to know about her and where she came from and what her world was like.

"Uhmm.. well my full name is Amy Jean Kishi. I live in this place called America which is on the North American continent. I'm 15 and I have a mom, dad, and two younger sisters," Amy stated unsure of where to begin, "Oh yeah where I come from it's the year 2008."

"2008!" they repeated.

"Yeah," Amy said, "That's what I meant by time change. It was also night when I left my house but morning when I came here."

"Interesting, go on," Mustang ordered.

"Okay," Amy continued a little bit more confident then before, "Where I come from there's no such thing as alchemy because it's a failed science. The alchemy we did have is nothing like your alchemy where you draw circles. It involved all these experiments and using other things to transform elements."

"No alchemy," Al said, "But how do things work?"

"The steam engine, electricity, and nuclear power. Actually, your world is based off the Industrial Revolution in Germany."

"Nuclear power?"

"Germany?"

"Revolution?"

Amy sighed at the blank expressions on their faces.

"Germany is a country in my world," she explained, "Industrial revolution is the term we use to describe a time period when my world made major advancements in technology and I'm not telling you what nuclear power is."

"Never mind that," Havoc said, "Tell us more about yourself."

"Myself," Amy pointed to herself.

"Yeah, you're the one who's stuck here," Havoc reasoned.

"How do I start?" Amy asked.

"You could tell us if you always dress like a boy," Havoc joked.

"For you information, where I come from it's perfectly normal for girls to dress like boys and if you think being a girl involves wearing skirts or dresses then I always dress like a boy," Amy said angrily.

Havoc rubbed the back of his head and tried to avoid the glare of the angry 15 year old.

"What about hobbies?" Al asked trying to break the tension, "What do you like to do?"

"Read and write while listening to music," Amy answered.

"What about likes and dislikes?" Breda offered.

"I like to do charity, goof off, the color yellow, and to have fun. I dislike sexist people (here she glared at Havoc who started whistling and pretending he didn't hear that), racist people, and people who annoy me in general," Amy replied.

"You ever had a boyfriend before?" Mustang asked.

There was a long silence as they all looked at her. Amy was really uncomfortable with that question. No she never dated or kissed any boy. In fact she never even told the people she liked, that she liked them. The longer Amy stood there, the more red her face became. It must have been as red as a tomato when she finally managed to find her voice and give her reply.

"What's that got to do with anything?!" she demanded red faced.

"As an official member of the military I am questioning you," Mustang said as he smirked, "Now answer."

The other members of the military looked generally interested. It wasn't every day they saw Colonel Mustang embarrass a cross-dressing girl who carried around a hammer. Actually they hadn't seen him do that ever. Then again most people didn't carry around hammers.

Amy looked at the floor and mumbled a no.

"Ever been kissed?" Mustang asked.

"That's personal!" Amy said defensively as she felt her face flare up.

"You know personal stuff about me and Al. It's only fair we know about you," Ed grinned wickedly, "Now answer the question."

Amy mumbled something and Ed put a hand to his ear while smirking.

"What's that didn't hear you?" he said mockingly.

"I've never been on a date, kissed, or been in a relationship with a boy!" Amy shouted angrily, "But I know for a fact that you, Mr. Edward Elric, have never been in a relationship either!"

An awkward silence fell on the room as both teens glared at each other red faced.

"Wait let me get this straight," Havoc said, "You guys are 15 and haven't been kissed or went on a date."

Amy and Ed refused to meet eyes with anyone and neither spoke. All the soldiers except Riza started laughing.

"SHUT UP!" Ed yelled at them, "I've got better stuff to do then be a hormone sick teen or a playboy like you Colonel!"

Amy stayed there silently deciding she rather let them face the wrath of Ed, then talk and embarrass herself more. More then anything else right now she wanted to sink into the floor or hide and never show her face again.

"AND YOU!" Ed turned to face Amy, "Stop telling them personal stuff about me! It's weird that you know every little detail about me!"

"Sorry Edward," Amy replied frustrated at Edward's attitude, "I'll just go home and stop embarrassing you. Oh wait, I CAN'T! You think its all fun and games being stuck here?! Do you?! Well sorry to burst your bubble but IT'S NOT!"

Amy's temper went over breaking point and she started to yell at Edward, "DO YOU THINK THIS IS ALL SOME GAME TO ME? HUH? WELL, I'LL TELL YOU SOMETHING MISTER THIS IS NOT FUN IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM! I GET KIDNAPPED BY BLACK IMPS, TRANSPORTED TO ANOTHER DIMENSION WHERE I'M ALL ALONE, AND THEN I ALMOST GET KILLED THREE TIMES IN LESS THEN 24 HOURS! TO MAKE IT WORSE I TRIPPED OVER SOME HEADLESS GUY AND THEN I GOT DRAGGED HERE! THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBLITY THAT I'LL NEVER SEE MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS AGAIN AND I NEVER EVEN GOT TO SAY GOOD-BYE!"

With that, tears started pouring down Amy's face. She hid her face in her hands so no one would see. The others stared at her unsure of what to do except for Edward who now felt extremely guilty. It was never his intention to make Amy upset and he never liked to see girls cry. Amy sobbed loudly as all of her pent up feelings came out. More then anything she wanted to go home. She wanted to be hugged by her mom and play games with her dad and sisters. She wanted to hang out with her friends and laugh at the stupid stuff she did. She wanted to play video games with them and sing stupid songs. Amy just wanted to go home. It was true, one never truly miss something until it's gone.

"Hey," Ed said in a softer tone, "Come on, don't cry."

Amy sobbed loudly as she heard Edward's voice, it just reminded her how far away she was from home. The military shot disapproving looks at Ed as he tried to cheer the girl up.

"Come on," Ed tried again, "I didn't mean it. I just took my frustration out on you and… come on please don't cry."

The tears didn't stop and Ed looked at the other men helpless. Finally Riza stepped in.

"Here Amy, come with me," she stepped forward and grabbed Amy's elbow, "Colonel I'll be taking Amy for a bit. Please continue with your discussion."

Then Riza gently lead Amy out of the room. After the door closed everyone glared at Ed.

* * *

Tigger: Such a wonderful way to end a chapter with everyone glaring at Ed.

Ed: HEY WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!

Tigger: Cause you insulted my fanfic so nah (sticjs tongue out)

Ed: You need a life!

Tigger: You need a hobby!

Ed: I spend all my time searching for the stone! I don't need a hobby!

Tigger: Yeah well your short!

Ed: WHOAREYOUCALLINGSOSMALLHECANFITINTHESPACEBETWEENTWOLETTERSONTHECOMPUERSCREEN!

Amy: Uhmm translation please.

Al: Brother is just upset at being called short. Please review Tigger's story.

Ed: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! (leaps into air and is knocked out by hammer)

Al: Are all chapters going to end this way?

Amy: Probably.


	8. Glaring, Guilt Trips and Costume Changes

Tigger: WHOOT YOU GUYS ROCK! I want to thank **The-Living-Shadow, Colonel Bastard, Giant-flying-radish-of-doom,Call-me-Lie-chan, and Fuurai** for reviewing. I also want to thank **Sarimia, Elric2007, and Eloquent Liar** for adding me to his/her story alert or favorite author list. YOU GUYS MAKE ME FEEL SPECIAL!

Ed: Like they read the memo.

Amy: Shut up Ed. Tigger's talking.

Tigger: Also I would like to announce a new CONTEST!

Al: But there was never and old contest.

Tigger: Okay fine just a contest there.

Amy: What's the contest about?

Tigger: It's a glaring contest.

Ed: What the hell? That's a stupid idea.

Tigger: Ed shut your mouth or I'll tape it shut.

Ed: (says nothing)

Tigger: Anyway because you guys liked glaring so much, I want you to PM telling me who you want to be glared at the most. Then I'll tally up who has the most glares and write an Okame about it.

Al: Uhmm but won't everyone be upset?

Amy: What they won't know won't hurt them

Tigger: Yep. :) So remember to PM and review this chapter while you're at it.

Ed: This is a scam isn't it? You don't even own FMA or any of the characters. All you own is Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile.

Tigger: ED WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TALKING?

* * *

Everyone glared at Ed.

Ed cringed under all the glares his coworkers were giving him. He hadn't meant to make her cry. His tongue just slipped damn it. Even though he wasn't looking at them directly, Ed could still feel the glares from the other soldiers in the room. His younger brother was glaring at him too. Ed backed up nervously.

"Come on guys, I didn't mean to make her cry," Ed said in his defense while waving his arms around as if trying to wave the blame away.

"Brother," Al said firmly, "You're always taking out your anger on other people. You made Amy cry."

"A man who makes a woman cry will never get anywhere in life," Mustang proclaimed.

Havoc, Fuery, Breda, and Falman nodded at Mustang's comment.

"Edward Elric!" Armstrong boomed, "You must apologize to Miss Kishi! It is only proper for a young man!"

"I did apologize she was just too busy crying to accept it," Ed said defensively.

"That is not the attitude a young man uses when he talking about a young woman," Armstrong reprimanded.

"It must be hard for her," Al said, "To be all alone like that and to not know what happened to her family."

It was silent as everyone took this in. They all knew what it felt like to be alone at one point or another. Realizing you are all alone for the first time was a horrible feeling. There is no family to help you or support you and it takes effort just to stand up and face a new day. You begin to cling on to whatever support you have because you just don't want to be by yourself. It was what Amy was doing right now. She had no family or friends to support her and she was in a strange and unfamiliar place. So she was using them as her support. At the moment they were the closest things she had because she knew them. She knew who they were and their pasts and their personalities. Amy only knew them from a series of books and a television show but it was all she had. It was obvious Amy had never seen the cruel side of life or the world beyond her backyard. If they were to abandon her and make her sort out her problem on her own, Amy would most likely break.

"The poor lass," Armstrong cried with tears streaming down his face.

The sparkles appeared around his face and he held his hands together as if he was praying. Suddenly, he had a change in attitude.

"SHE IS WELCOME IN THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY ANYTIME SHE LIKES!" he yelled triumphantly while standing in a heroic pose and ripping off the new shirt he had put on.

"I don't think that's going to solve her problems," Havoc commented and taking another drag from his cigarette.

"And to think I thought today was going to be another boring day at work," Breda said leaning back on the chair he was sitting on.

"What are we going to do with her?" Fuery asked.

Ed looked like he was deep in thought. He knew her story was unbelievable and that if anyone besides them had heard it they would have put Amy in an asylum. Ed didn't believe her story, it was scientifically impossible, but he did know that Amy knew a lot of information about him and Al and it would be stupid to let her wander off with that information. It was possible that she may also have been hiding something from him and Al, and Ed was determined to find out what it was and how she really knew all about them.

"You know," he spoke casually, "If anyone else finds out above this she may be targeted. She has a lot of information that could be dangerous in the wrong hands."

"Amy could be very helpful to us too," Falman added.

Mustang took a seat at the desk in front and rubbed his chin as if he was thinking deeply. Then he stopped and smirked.

Looking at Falman he asked, "When was the last time the military had such a young girl in it?"

Falman looked at Mustang before replying, "Never sir."

"Then in that case what do you say we have Amy join our ranks. She would be very useful and could provide us with a lot of information."

The other military members looked at each other and smiled.

"Wait," Havoc said, "Where's Hughes?"

Everyone looked at the empty seat where Hughes sat and then at each other.

"Where did Hughes go?" Al asked.

Riza lead Amy out of the room and down a hallway. She pretended not to notice the glances other military members were sending her and continued to lead Amy through a maze of hallways and doors. Amy was still crying. She didn't care what anyone thought of her anymore, she just wanted to go home. Finally Riza opened a door and walked inside. She sat Amy down in one of the chairs in the room and Riza sat next to her in another chair. For a long time she let Amy cry her worries out. Amy cried about being alone and not having her family. She cried about almost dying and being scared by Scar. She cried about Ed being mad at her and that no one completely trusting her. Every little thing she had been feeling for the past day came out. It was unbelievable that she was sitting in the Military East Headquarters while being comforted by Riza Hawkeye but yet she was still sitting there.

Tears poured down her cheeks and she was constantly rubbing them away but more kept appearing. The tears felt warm and they splattered her outfit while her nose dripped. Amy's sobs made her breathing harder and she would take in a shaky breath, just to let it out again in her next sob. Riza and Amy sat in the office not saying anything but only listening to Amy's sobs. It came to a point where Amy had no more tears to cry and she was going to have to face terms with reality.

Amy used her forearms to dry off her eyes and sniffed a couple of times, but she didn't look up at Riza. It had been a long time since Amy had a good cry and she was slightly ashamed of her attitude. What would crying change? She was still stuck here. Her family members were still on the other side of the gate and probably didn't have a clue about what happened to her. Amy was all alone in a strange place. This thought almost made Amy break into another round of tears but her dry eyes prevented it.

"When I was younger then you I lost my mother," Riza said breaking the silence, "The day she died I felt like part of me had died, but I was too young to understand what I was truly feeling until many years later. Then when my father died I thought I reached the end."

Amy looked at Riza. It was unusual for Riza to be so sentimental, but Riza wasn't looking at Amy. She was looking at the ceiling with a soft expression on her face.

"But somehow I managed to pull through," she continued, "I kept telling myself that I was entrusted with something and that my father would be disappointed if I gave up so easily."

Riza looked at Amy.

"Think about it," she told her, "Would your parents want you to suffer? They probably are just as worried and anxious as you are. It's a parent's job to worry about their kids. But I get the impression that you're tougher then you look and I bet your parents think so too. They are probably hoping you will do everything in their power to return to them. Are you going to disappoint them? Will you really just give up so easily? You're stuck here for now, but isn't there some way to return home. It may seem impossible now but you and I both know nothing is impossible."

Amy looked at Riza in admiration. Her kind words brought a truth Amy hadn't seen before.

"They're waiting for you back home. Your family and friends all want you to come back. There's something you've been entrusted with," she said, "They've entrusted you with their love and the hope that you return to them safely. Don't let them down."

Riza looked Amy straight in the eye.

"The road ahead of you is difficult but you must stay strong and keep going. Never let anyone or anything bring you down. Promise?"

Amy nodded her head unable to speak because of the awe she felt.

"Besides, "Riza smiled softly, "I'm sure the Elric brothers will do everything in their power to help you."

She stood up and extended a hand to Amy. Amy took it and climbed out of the chair.

"Let's go get you cleaned up," she said.

Amy nodded and once again followed Riza through a maze of hallways. What Riza said to Amy had been very true. Her parents wouldn't want her to give up. Back at home Amy had never been a pushover and she wasn't going to start being one right now. She always stood up for what she believed in and did her best at whatever she tried to accomplish.

"_They're waiting for me," _she thought, "_They're waiting for me and I'm not going to disappoint them."_

One of her father's saying floated into Amy's head. He had once told her that he believed in her and that he supported her in everything she did. He said that he wanted her to follow her dreams because she was the kind of person who would make her dreams come true.

"_They've entrusted you with something. Don't let them down."_

Inwardly, Amy smiled. Riza was truly an amazing person.

"Here we are," Riza pointed to a door with the woman's bathroom sign on it, "Why don't you go in and wash up?"

Amy nodded and was about to push the door open when she turned to look at Riza.

"Miss Hawkeye," she said.

"Yes, Miss Kishi," Riza responded.

Amy didn't know what to say. How could she thank her for the enormous favor she just did? Whether Riza realized it or not, she had just done something amazing for Amy. She had given her new hope and had comforted her when she needed it the most. How could she possible show the respect and admiration she had for her after Riza had done so much for her? What could she possible say to express her gratitude. Then it hit her, Amy knew exactly what to say. It may sound stupid and cheesy and it certainly wasn't enough but it was all she had to offer.

"Thank you," Amy said and smiled at her.

Then she walked into the bathroom, leaving Riza outside to ponder her strange actions.

_"It was nice_," Riza thought standing outside, "_It's nice to know that sometimes people need your help. She seemed like a good person to me."_

Amy looked into the mirror. It was the first time she could clearly see her new face and she looked at it in awe. First off there was no signs of the acne she had back in her own world. There were also no freckles, the few which she had gotten from forgetting to wear sun block. Her face was flawless except for a scar on her chin and the grime from running and falling. Amy's eyes were also a very bright light blue but they were, at the moment, slightly red from crying. However what amazed Amy the most was her hair. It was a mix of blonds with some golden strands, some dark strands, and some light. Sure at the moment she was covered in dirt, grime, and blood but Amy couldn't help but think she looked pretty. No she wasn't drop dead gorgeous or even that beautiful but she couldn't help but think she did look a bit pretty and cute. That was just her own opinion though, Amy was sure there were prettier girls out there, I mean she was in the anime world.

Deciding she had spent enough time in front of the mirror, Amy leaned over the sink and turned the water on. She cupped her hands and splashed water onto her face. Then she reached for a paper towel and dried her face off. Her bangs were slightly damp but she pushed them to the side. Amy cupped her hands again but this time she drank the water from her cupped palms. Sure it was bathroom water but she was thirsty and the vomit/cheese-stick had left a nasty aftertaste in her mouth. Amy gargled the water and then spit it into the sink. Once satisfied she had gotten rid of the taste, she wiped her mouth on her arm and turned off the faucet with the other. Then she examined her body.

Her boots were stained red and had scuff marks on them. The knees of her pants were torn and one knee was scraped and bleeding. Her hands were also dirty and scraped while the edges of her sleeves were torn. To top it all off her outfit was or had been wet and was now wrinkling as it dried. Amy used some water to clean her wounds and tried to smooth the wrinkles out of her clothes. It was unsuccessful.

Amy remembered she had her backpack with her and changed outfits. This one was different from the last one. She wore a pair of jeans which were really baggy because they had once belonged to a boy. Her shirt was a long sleeves black male shirt which didn't do Amy justice so she threw a blue short sleeved shirt over it. The shirts fit rather well but they were a bit big. The hat from before stayed on and Amy wore her sandals instead of the boots.

Once again Amy examined herself in the mirror. Everyone here thought she was a boy and she couldn't help but wonder if she really did look like one. Glancing in the mirror Amy almost gasped.

"Is that really me?" she asked the mirror.

Never in her life had Amy looked so much like a boy. Her short hair and hat certainly looked like a boy's. The baggy clothes also hid what her chest and muscle-lacking forearms and legs. The pants were too big to show off her girly hips and Amy was forced to use a belt to keep them in place around her waist. She also had to roll up the hems of the pants so they wouldn't drag on the floor. Amy never wore any make-up or painted or nails so even though she had her sandals on one couldn't really tell if they were a boy's or not. Not to mention Amy's feet were on the bigger side. Sure they were smaller then her dad's but they were two sizes bigger then her mom. At home, her father used to call her Bigfoot because she went through three shoe sizes in six months.

Still it was shocking how much of a boy Amy looked like. Yet at the same time you could still see the girl in her. The way Amy held herself was different then the way a boy held himself. Her face was also softer than a boy's and not as sharp as a boy's. Plus Amy's voice definitely was girl-like, something Amy had never been proud of. She didn't really like her voice, it sounded too girly for her. So what had made all the soldiers think she was a girl?

"_Maybe they're all just unobservant,"_ she thought.

That was probably it, but Ed thought it too and Ed was more observant then most people.

Amy thought it over. Her only possible solution was that they were all just so distracted with Scar, that they had no time to pay attention to a slightly off male. It wasn't that great a theory but it was her only one that made sense.

Deciding she was presentable Amy walked towards the bathroom door. It was time to face the music. Okay that line was a bit cliché but it was the only thing that she could think of. So far her entire time on this side of the gate was spent running from one place to another. Now she was going to stop running and get to thinking. There had to be some ways back. Truth had even said that he "looked forward to her finding a back road" so that means that there had to be a way back. A sense of determination filled Amy. She could do this and with Ed and Al helping her she was sure to find a way. Ed and Al were determined to reach their goal which was in turn linked to Amy's goal. Also, since she was here, why couldn't Amy enjoy hanging out with her favorite manga characters? It's not every day one gets sucked into alternate dimensions with their idols. Amy was going to make the best of this situation. She was going to find a way home, enjoy her time here, and if she could, help Ed and Al get their bodies back. Amy pumped her fist into the air. It was time to start the quest for the philosopher's stone.

Amy opened the door and stepped into the hallway. It was deserted. She looked both ways. Riza was no where in sight. Great, just great what was Amy supposed to do now? She didn't know how she got here, nor did she know which room she came from. Forget that, Amy didn't even know where East city was on a map and where the headquarters she was standing in was. Amy didn't even know what street it was on.

Sighing, Amy slowly felt her optimism from no less then 30 seconds ago draining away. The way Amy saw it she could: A) Walk around until she found them and most likely get lost B) Ask for directions and most likely get in trouble for being in military headquarters not chaperoned or C) She could stand there and wait for Riza to come back. Amy went with option C because it seemed the wisest in this situation. Quietly Amy took a seat on a bench she hadn't noticed before and waited. And waited and waited. And then waited some more. She wasn't exactly sure how long she had sat there but Amy was sure of one thing she was bored and this sitting and waiting wasn't helping her situation. Okay that was technically two things.

Did you know when you're bored you become observant? Well Amy found that soon after she found herself counting the tiles on the floor. They were all white and there where exactly 20 between one door and the bench she was sitting on. She had also noted that there were no windows in this particular hallway and due to lack of people passing by, it wasn't the most popular hallway. She had begun counting ceiling tiles when she something distracted her. That moment was when she heard it. "It" being a small squeak like wet boots on the floor. She looked around but there was no one there.

* * *

Tigger: CLIFFHANGER YEAH!

Amy: Not much of a cliffhanger.

Tigger: I know but it was the best I could do.

Al: Have either of you seen my brother?

Amy: Edward?

Al: (sweatdrop) I only have one brother.

Tigger: He's not much of a brother. He's so tiny, he could be considered a pet.

(loud banging comes from a closet)

Al: What was that?

Tigger: Uhmm my science project?

Amy: Some science project.

Tigger: It's really tiny I wonder how it can make so much noise.

(More banging from the closet and then the door breaks and Ed falls out bound and gagged)

Tigger: MY CLOSET!

Al: BROTHER! What happened to you?

(Ed motions towards Tigger and Amy and Al look at her)

Tigger: IT WASN'T MY FAULT! THE FANGIRLS DID IT!

(They look at her disbelievingly)

Tigger: Fine but I only did it because he wouldn't shut up before.

(Ed wriggles around on floor like a demented caterpillar)

Tigger: (hits him with hammer and runs away) REMEMBER TO REVIEW!


	9. Random Killers And A Short Angry Teen

Tigger: Hola people I'm back. First off I like to thank **Call-me-Lie-chan, Kuorami, YukiGakamo1, AlmightySquirrelQueen, and Fuurai**for some awesome reviews/adding me to muliple favortie list. I also want to thank **Cross - The Damned Alchemist, xWeaselxWolfx, Rosoku, and LadyFanuilh** for adding me to his/her favorite authors list, his/her favorite story list, or his/her story alert.

Amy: That was a long one.

Tigger: Yep

Al: Oh Tigger how's the contest going?

Tigger: Not so hot only two people have given me votes. So it's a tie. I'm going to wait till next week before I end the contest. (pause) How's Ed doing?

Amy: He's still unconscious from your last update.

Tigger: Whoops (looks at Ed who is sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor)

Ed: Tigger does not own me or any other characters from Full Metal Alchemist. All she owns is Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile.

(shocked silence)

Tigger: ED JUST SLEEP-TALKED MY DISCLAIMER!

Amy: Not like you would have said it anyway.

Tigger: GAH! (throws hammer at Ed)

Al: BROTHER!

* * *

"_Creepy,"_ she thought, "_Very creepy."_

Amy went back to looking around but she kept her guard up. There was no telling who was lurking around every corner. It could have been Scar or a homunculus. Maybe it was some random killer who escaped from the jail in headquarters and was going to take his anger of being caught out on her. Immediately Amy's thoughts trailed to the episode of Full Metal Alchemist where Ed had first become a State Alchemist and was almost killed by Barry the Chopper. Barry the Chopper was a psycho killer who liked to chop people up into tiny pieces for no good reason. She knew that that event had never happened in the manga but it didn't mean Barry couldn't exist. Maybe he came in during later chapters and was actually here all along. These thoughts made Amy's heart beat faster and she began to fidget nervously in her seat. Oh how she wished Riza would come back, Amy had no desire to be chopped into little pieces. She wasn't exactly a fan of sharp pointy objects and being cut apart with a knife was so not on her list of stuff she wanted to do. Amy shuddered at the idea of being cut into tiny pieces while still alive.

"_I think I'm going to be sick again,"_ she thought as her stomach gave an unpleasant churn.

Squeak.

Such a small innocent noise made Amy almost jump out of her skin. Someone was there and she knew it. They were hiding so she couldn't see them but they were there. The person was probably just waiting in the shadows debating on how they would sneak up on her and kill her. They were probably debating if they should kill her right there or kidnap her and then kill her. Why would they want to kidnap her? Amy wasn't really a good victim. She'd probably scream or hit the killer with a hammer or start running in the other direction. Besides shouldn't the killer be trying to escape the building? Why was the killer going to waste their time killing her? Didn't they want to escape first and then have revenge once they were safe?

Squeak.

Amy jumped. Is her heartbeat supposed to be so loud? Why was it beating so damn fast? The killer could probably hear it. What was with her breathing? Was it supposed to be so loud and ragged? Amy sat there with her heart beating, her breathing irregular and her neck making popping noises as she turned quickly looking for the killer.

"_Where are they?" _she thought desperately, "_I might die. I don't want to die. Come on isn't almost dying multiple times in a day good enough?"_

Squeak.

"_It's the killer! OMG I'M GOING TO DIE! I'm going to get killed!"_ she inwardly screamed, "_I'm going to die. OMG I AM GOING TO DIE! I don't want to die!"_

"AMY LOOK AT THESE PICTURES!" someone shouted into Amy's ear.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Amy screamed as loud as she could and jumped off the bench.

She tried to turn around to see her killer but she slipped. Her arm swung out to grab onto something to break her fall. It hit a doorknob and got caught. The rest of her body collided with the floor. Her head hit the door and her arm felt like it was going to be pulled off. Amy's butt was sore from hitting the floor and her heartbeat was going even faster. Amy shook her head. Her eyes wouldn't focus and the world was just a collage of colors to her. Once her head cleared a bit Amy looked up. Next to the bench she had been sitting on was Hughes.

Amy's heartbeat began to slow and she felt a considerable amount better. She was so glad that it was Hughes and not some crazy killer. Her relief was so great that she couldn't bring herself to be mad at Hughes for almost scaring her to death. Amy looked as Hughes' face. Hughes looked at her a bit surprised at her reaction but not much. Did he normally sneak up on people? Guessing by his expression Amy could guess yes. Although he probably wasn't used to the people he scared acting like she did.

"What's going on here?" Riza asked stepping into the hallway.

It must have looked weird to see Amy hanging from a doorknob on one side of the hallway and Hughes standing on the other holding out pictures in his hand. Then again Riza dealt with weird people every day, why should today be so different?

"You need help Amy?" she questioned her.

Amy nodded pitifully in reply. This was not how she wanted to spend her first few minutes on her quest. Riza walked over and pulled Amy up with her free hand. When Amy was on her feet, she pulled Amy's arm out of the doorknob's grasp. Her arm hurt but Amy rubbed it trying to make it feel better. There would be a bruise there tomorrow no doubt but nothing beyond that.

"Someone asked for my help," Riza explained, "I went to help them and came straight back."

"It's okay," Amy said, "I just wondered where you went."

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Riza nodded to him, "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to show Amy my wonderful pictures of Elysia to cheer her up," Hughes exclaimed, "ISN'T SHE BEAUTIFUL?"

He held out about 15 photos of his daughter so Riza and Amy could see them. Amy sweatdropped and Riza stared at the photos blankly. So this is what it was like to be tormented by Hughes and his photos. Somehow it was funnier to Amy when she had been watching others get tortured and not her.

"Look! Look!" Hughes yelled at her while shoving photos into her face, "Don't they make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? My daughter does that to people. She is marvelous. No! SHE IS BETTER! MY DAUGHTER IS THE SUPREMENESS ON CUTENESS!"

Amy blinked at the photos which were so close to her face they were practically on her face.

"Mr. Maes Hughes, sir," Amy spoke trying to get him to hear her while he was preaching about his daughter.

He didn't hear her but continued to brag about how cute Elysia was and how she had a smile like an angel or something like that.

"Mr. Hughes," Amy tried again, "Mr. Hughes."

He still didn't hear her.

"ISN'T SHE PRECIOUS?" he yelled, "AREN'T YOU JEALOUS OF HER?"

"MR. HUGHES!" Amy shouted at him.

That got his attention.

"Please remove the photos from in front of my face, so I can see them without having to cross my eyes," Amy told him trying to hold back her annoyance.

"It doesn't matter," Riza spoke, "The Colonel is expecting us back. We should be going now."

"You're right, Lieutenant Hawkeye," Hughes put himself in business mode, "The Colonel would probably,"

Hughes paused as he reached into his pocket.

"LOVE MY NEW SET OF ELYSIA PICTURES! TRICYCLE EDITION!" he yelled holding out some more photos while smiling.

Amy stared at him blankly.

"_Where do all those photos come from?_" she thought.

Riza sighed.

"Let's get going," she said.

Riza began to walk away and Amy followed. Hughes came as well. He spent the entire time talking about his child and asking Amy stupid questions like "Do you think she looks better in blue or pink?" or "Doesn't she look cute in this outfit?". It was like being tortured, Amy decided. Hughes just kept talking and talking and talking. Amy swore her ears were going to fall off if they didn't reach the others soon. Riza seemed not to be bothered by Hughes' blabbering and kept staring straight ahead. Finally they reached a door which Riza opened and they entered.

It was the same room as before and the soldiers were still in there. The men looked up as Riza, Amy, and Hughes reentered the room. They looked like they had been in the middle of an important conversation.

"Nice to see you came back," Mustang nodded as Hawkeye and Hughes sat down.

Amy's face turned red as she remembered her outburst. She normally didn't cry in front of people, what the hell was wrong with her today? In her brain Amy mentally beat herself up.

"_Stupid, stupid, stupid,"_ she thought, "_You only get one first impression and I made mine by almost getting myself killed and then having a break down in front of military members."_

Amy then remembered screaming at Ed. She should apologize to him? He had pushed her buttons but that had been no reason to snap at him. But Amy didn't want to embarrass herself by apologizing in front of everyone, that's something she would rather do alone, but if she didn't apologize then they would think she was stuck up or ungrateful or still mad…

"_This is a no win situation," _Amy thought depressed.

Instead of standing there like a fool debating with herself, Amy decided to take a seat on top of one of the desks until she made up her mind about what to do. Amy could feel gazes on her as she sat on the seat because she decided under so many stares that the seat would do better. The room fell into an awkward silence as Amy stared at her feet with the same thought running through her mind, apologize or don't apologize. When it came down to it, Amy was a pretty stubborn person but in this case Amy knew she was in the wrong and that she suck up her pride and get it over with. Easier said then done.

--

As soon as the conversation about what to do with Amy was finished she walked into the room with Ms. Hawkeye and Mr. Hughes. Mustang noticed there entranced and commented on it but no one else said anything. Ms. Hawkeye and Mr. Hughes took the same seats as before but Amy just turned slightly red and took a seat farther away from everyone. Maybe she was still mad at brother from before. What brother said had been rude and made her cry but Al didn't think that Amy could still be angry at him. She seemed more upset then angry when she had left the room before. Perhaps she was embarrassed at her actions? That was a possibility in the short time Al had known her she had blushed at least two times.

"Brother," Al whispered to his sibling, "Brother go apologize."

Edward glared at Al and crossed his arms over his chest. Al sighed, brother was still angry at Amy for yelling at him before and making his coworkers angry with him. It didn't help that she claimed to know everything about Al and his brother's lives. But Al was more accepting of things then Edward was. Ed firmly believed in only what his eyes could see and what could be proven in science, the only exception of this being the philosopher's stone.

--

Amy took a deep breath. It was now or never. She was going to be the better person and apologize to Edward so that she could move on. Now if only her feet would cooperate…

"Edward," she said still looking down at her feet, embarrassed.

Ed, Al, and military members looked at her.

"Look, I'm sorry okay?" Amy didn't look up, "I was just upset and frustrated being here. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Edward said.

Amy looked at him shocked, she hadn't been expecting him to apologize to her. As far as Amy knew, Ed was one of the most stubborn guys to ever exist but she also knew he admitted his mistakes when he was wrong. Ed wasn't looking Amy in the eyes instead he was looking in the other direction and rubbing the back of his head.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," he continued, "You didn't ask for this."

"Apology accepted," Amy said.

Ed looked at her and smiled a bit. Amy smiled too, she couldn't help it Ed had a contagious grin. Armstrong sniffed loudly with tears pouring down his checks.

"Ah, to be young again," Havoc mumbled dreamily.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!" Ed and Amy yelled.

"Nothing, nothing," Havoc waved them off.

"YOU TWO ARE THE SPITTING IMAGE OF YOUTH!" Armstrong cried and embraced both teens in a hug.

Amy felt herself being swooshed up by very strong arms and being crushed. She wriggled trying to escape as she felt her lungs being compressed.

"Armstrong….air...now," she gasped.

"I apologize," Armstrong said, "I guess the Armstrong strength is too much for regular people."

He then dropped both teens on the ground and Amy and Ed gasped for air. Once they had both made sure they had gotten back all their air that Armstrong squeezed out, they stood up. Or rather Ed stood up and Amy decided it was safer on the floor and flopped down on her back.

"Are you okay, Amy" Al asked.

"Fine, just getting some air," she said.

Al gave her a weird look as Amy continued to lie on the floor.

"Shouldn't you get up?" he asked after a while.

"I should but I can't in fear of Armstrong squeezing me to death," Amy explained.

"Wimp," Ed muttered.

Angrily Amy pulled Ed's ankle so he toppled over onto the ground face first.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!" he yelled getting up and rubbing his red nose.

Amy got up and sat down, ignoring Ed.

"HEY ANSWER MY QUESTION!" Ed demanded.

"Only when you're taller then me," Amy snapped.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE HASN'T GROWN IN FOUR YEARS AND TODDLERS LOOK DOWN ON HIM!" Ed screamed.

"You haven't grown in four years?" Amy asked, "You really lucked out on height genes huh?"

Ed stood there breathing heavily. His face was red and he was clenching his fist. If looks could kill Amy would have been stabbed in the heart with a dagger the size of Texas.

Al looked worriedly at his brother. Afraid that Ed would forget where he was and take his temper out on Amy. He sent worried glances back and forth between the two teens but neither of them seemed to notice. They were too absorbed in their fight. Although it did seem Amy was a great deal calmer then his brother. Maybe because she was the one doing all the taunting.

"I believe my younger sister is the same height as you," Amy said, "And she is 5 years younger then you."

Ed practically blew up and Amy was almost laughing. For some reason fighting with Ed like this was kind of fun. She never had met someone with a shorter temper then her and it was amusing to see Ed get all rallied up. His expressions of ones of clear hate but he looked so funny doing them that Amy almost let a giggle slip through her lips. Amy remembered always laughing when she read about Ed throwing a "height fit" as she had dubbed it.

Ed looked like he was going to tear Amy apart until he paused. One could practically see the light bulb going off in his head. Ed smirked, he had an idea.

"Well at least I know what gender I am," Ed taunted.

There was a pause as Amy took this in. Did Ed just accuse of her of being gender confused? Did he just say that she was a manly girl?

Amy didn't bother answering her own questions. He did. Amy's temper snapped. Edward Elric was going down.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU GIRLY LOOKING MIDGET?" she yelled.

"Girly looking?" Ed asked incredulously and then realized what else she had called him.

"I AM NOT A MIDGET!" he yelled at her, "ESPECICALLY A GIRLY LOOKING ONE!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK, GIRLY MAN!" Amy yelled back, "THE FIRST TIME MY FRIEND SAW YOU SHE THOUGHT YOU WERE A GIRL!"

Ed gaped at her. He had been called many things and he had been called... smaller then others on many occasions, but never had Ed been confused for a girl.

"YOU FRIEND MUST BE BLIND OR SOMETHING!" he accused.

"YOUR HAIR IS LONGER THEN MINE!" Amy pointed out.

The other military members tuned out them out at this point and turned to talk to each other.

"Weren't they just fighting?" Fuery asked.

"It is common for stubborn people to fight," Falman said, "Both sides have to prove their point right."

"I wish they would both stop being so stubborn I have a headache," Breda complained.

"You know," Mustang said with an all-knowing smirk, "Sometimes young people fight to show they like each other."

There was another dead silence in the room as Ed and Amy stopped fighting. They looked at each other and then at Mustang.

* * *

Tigger: That's all folks. Please review. I swear I don't bite or yell at you. I actually PM back and thank you for your responses. Please I know there are a lot of you who read but don't review. Don't be shy I like hearing others opinions. Tell them Al.

Al: Uh...Tigger is nice to everyone except brother.

Tigger: He doesn't count.

Ed: DAMN HELL!

Tigger: Why is Ed damning Hell?

Al: I think he just finished reading your update.

Tigger: Ed reads my story?

Al: He wants to make sure you aren't ruining his character.

Tigger: Oh...wait did you just say he finished my latest update.

Al: Yeah he started reading it after he woke up. Apparently getting hit with a hammer a second time woke him up.

Tigger: Damn! (Runs out of room and comes back with a suitcase and coat) Well Al I must be going now. Nice seeing you.

Al: Tigger where are you..

Ed: TIGGER WHAT THE HELL DID YOU WRITE?

Amy: WHAT DID YOU MAKE MUSTANG SAY THAT!

Tigger: AHHHH DON'T KILL ME I SWEAR MY FINGERS JUST TYPED IT OUT! THEY BETRAYED ME! AHHH! (Throws hammer at Ed and hightails it to the North Pole)


	10. Who said what now?

Tigger: Hi everyone I'm back from the North Pole!

Amy: You never went to the North Pole.

Tigger: Sssh they don't know that. Anyway I want to thank **Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Wandering Hitokiri, HaruGoesMoo, FadingIntoTwilight, Blades of Silver, The-Living-Shadow, Call-me-Lie-chan, Fuurai, Libby The Great, Giant-flying-radish-of-doom, and xWeaselxWolfx** for reviweing/ favorting/ adding to story alert.

Al: Isn't this update a bit late?

Tigger: (teary) I SWEAR IT WASN'T IT MY FAULT IT WAS THE EVIL THING'S FAULT!

Ed: Evil thing?

Tigger: Yes it is very evil. In fact it is so evil that I won't be able to update for a while.

Ed: Wait you can't update because of an evil thing?

Tigger: Yep wait no I mean I WON'T BE UPDATING FOR A WHILE JUST LEAVE IT AND I APOLOGIZE TO ALL MY WONDERFUL REVIEWERS WHO I WILL BE DISAPPOINTING!

Ed: So no more disclaimer saying you don't nor ever will own Full Metal Alchemist or any it's characters and that you only own Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile.

Tigger: (pause)...! STOP INSERTING THE DISCLAIMER INTO MY STORY!

Ed: (smirks)

Tigger: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU EDWARD ELRIC!

Al: Uhmm enjoy this chapter (ducks as random object almost hits him)

* * *

The silence didn't last long as both teens finally managed to grasp what Mustang had said.

"WHAT ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Ed screamed, "ME LIKE HER?"

"WHO WOULD LIKE A STUBBORN SHORT-TEMPERED MIDGET WHO WEARS ALL BLACK?" Amy demanded still furious at Ed for his gender comment.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH WHAT I WEAR?" Ed shot back fiercely.

"IT'S ALL BLACK! YOU LOOK GOTH!" Amy objected.

Amy really didn't have anything against the way Ed dressed but whatever pushed Ed's buttons was a good thing. Both seemed to forget that they had been yelling at Mustang moments ago and continued their spat.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOTH? AND YOU'RE ONE TO TALK YOU'RE DRESSED LIKE A BOY!" Ed shouted angrily.

"YEAH WELL AT LEAST MY CLOTHES ARE COMFY! WHY THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING A HUGE BELT, YOU TOO SHORT TO KEEP YOUR PANTS UP?"

That did it. Edward was ready to rip Amy limb to limb and Amy could say the same thing. When it came down Amy was rock hard stubborn, she never gave up her opinion and she liked people to see it her way.

"And so the flirting goes on," Mustang said coolly while smirking at the red-faced teens.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ed yelled.

"Now now that's no way to talk to your superior officer," Mustang spoke like he was talking to a two-year old which just infuriated Ed more.

Amy had to mentally remind herself that this was no time to be arguing with stupid hot-headed boys and that throwing her hammer at a military officer's head was not a good thing. Nor was it a good thing to take her anger out on military property. Amy took a deep breath, counted to ten, and then let it out. She did this a few more times until she felt ready to talk to Ed like a normal person. Well normal enough that she wouldn't hit him the next time he spoke to her. Ed however was still fuming but he was madder at Mustang then her.

"Sir, don't you think it's time we moved off this topic?" Riza stated more then asked while grabbing the holster of her gun.

Mustang looked worried for a second and then cleared his throat. Edward smirked once seeing the situation his 'superior' officer was in, and backed down.

"Yes, I believe so," he said in the calmest voice he could manage with the idea of almost being shot at by his officer, "Amy, Ed and Al will take the train tomorrow to Resembool ."

Amy nodded, confirming that she heard this. So if Ed and Al were going where did that leave her? She was supposed to travel with them so she could find a way home, but did that mean she was going to stay with them all the time? They were only going to go get Ed's automail fixed and Ed and Al's adventures were pretty dangerous but if anyone could help her they could. Then again it might be safer if she just read books in a library…but she highly doubted this sort of thing happened to normal people and if they did Amy guessed they didn't write books about it. Amy made a mental note that if she ever found a way out of this she would write every word down just so no one would have to suffer like she was.

Besides it could be fun traveling with Ed and Al…that is if Amy didn't include Scar, or the homunculus, or train thieves, or evil priests, or the insane amount of dangerous stuff they did. Other then that it could be fun…right? Running for your life and barely making it out of the situation alive was always fun, wasn't it?

"You will be traveling with them," Mustang said.

Amy wasn't sure how to react to that. Excited? Yeah she was overjoyed. Traveling around with Ed and Al was something that only happened in a dream. Amy couldn't express her joy in words, but there was the other side too. She was also terrified. Amy didn't want to run into the homunculus or be chased around by murders. The very idea of Envy trying to beat her up made her knees quake. There were a lot of brave people in the world but Amy wasn't one of them. She had a fear of death and anything that would bring her close to death. Sure Amy was willing to stand up for her own opinion and be stubborn towards the end. But someone beating her up when she could barely defend herself and the person not mind killing her, that she was scared of. Not to mention, Amy would most likely run into Scar again and the next time Mustang probably wouldn't be there to save her sorry self.

But traveling could be fun to, right? Amy would get to witness all of the hilarious situations Ed manages to get himself into. She would get to see Al deal with his brother and hide kitties in his suit. Plus she would get to see Winry and automail.

That one thought made all of Amy's worries disappear. She would get to see automail and meet Winry!

"Really?" Amy asked excited, "You mean I get to meet Winry?!"

Amy almost jumped out of her seat. Next to Ed and Al, Winry was one of her favorite characters. She loved Winry's violence and it was Winry who had inspired her love of prosthetic limbs. Amy felt like a little kid on Christmas morning after seeing a huge pile of presents from Santa to them. It would be like meeting her hero. Maybe they would show her how the limbs worked. Maybe she might learn to build something even if it was just a tiny finger. Amy resisted the urge to shout and dance around like a crazy manic and instead had a huge grin across her face and she swore there were sparkles in her eyes.

Ed and Al looked at Amy a little creeped out and the other members of the military backed away slowly.

"You do realize how creepy this is for us, right?" Ed asked the joyful girl.

Ed never thought about other people knowing Winry, other then those outside their small hometown. It was weird meeting someone who claimed to be a fan of Winry's work.

"But Winry is so cool," Amy objected snapping out of her happy daze.

"Are you crazy or something?" Ed snorted, "The woman is a killing machine. She's going to have a fit when she sees my arm."

"Maybe I'll get to see her build some automail," Amy said in a hopeful voice while ignoring Ed's last statement.

"Do you like automail, Amy?" Al asked trying to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"Yeah, I was really interested in robotic limbs back home," Amy told them, "I was going to build the first robotic limb attached to the central nervous system."

"Sorry Ms. Kishi but this trip won't be just visiting," Mustang informed her, "As a group we have decided it would be too dangerous to let you wonder around free. If anyone else found out about the information you possess the entire military would be in trouble."

Amy thought this over. She guessed she had never really thought about it that way. Amy hadn't even told them about the homunculus. If she told people she could spoil the entire book. Not just the book, her information could destroy the entire country. What if the homunculus found out about her? They would torture her to death and never leave her alone until she gave them every piece of information she had. Then they would probably kill her in a horrible way because she would be useless. And she would die without ever getting home or completing her dreams or finding out what happened in the next One Piece book.

"_GAH_!" she thought, "_This stuff never happens to people in fanfics. They always lead happy lives and are really powerful. All I have is a hammer that I can't use_."

The entire fate of this world depended on her. Ed, Al, Winry, everybody's life depended on her keeping her mouth shut. Mustang did even realize how devastating the information she had would be if it got out. They were depending on her and what could she do? Nothing, that was the answer. A tiny little needle had Amy quivering in her seat imagine what other people could do. Amy shuttered. Why was she here? Couldn't the gate have picked someone better? Someone who was stronger and who knew how to fight perhaps. If Ed and Al died it would all be her fault and the guilt would kill her if she wasn't already dead. Another thing about Amy was that she was not good with guilt. It made her stomach churn unpleasantly and she felt awful until she confessed. Giving away information that kills a person is as bad as killing a person herself. Amy couldn't kill people it was against what she stood for. Oh man, what was she supposed to do?

"_I have to remain calm_," she told herself, "_If I make it seem obvious I know something it would make me an easier target. If I play clueless no one will try to kill me…I hope."_

Amy took a deep breath. It was as easy as that. If Amy played dumb then no one had any reason to attack her. A giant weight was lifted from her shoulders. There would be no reason for her to feel guilty and no one would die because of her. But what about Ed and Al should she warn them about the future? If she did that she could change the entire course of the book. Wasn't she changing the story already by being here? Damn, this was way too complicated and she was getting distracted. She shouldn't be worrying about Ed and Al, she should be worrying about herself. Amy was the one stuck here not them and the longer she stayed the higher her chances of getting killed went up.

"Ms. Kishi," a voice called her from her thoughts, "Ms. Kishi."

Amy jumped from surprise. She landed on the ground and her foot slipped making her crash into a chair. Gravity seemed to abandon her as she flew backwards and into her chair. The chair toppled over and had a domino effect. It knocked over Breda's, Havoc's, Hughes's, Falman's, and Fuery's chairs sending them all crashing to the ground. Armstrong's foot got hit by one of the chairs and he fell over grabbing the table from the other side for to try to balance himself out. But all he ended up doing was flipping the table over and sending Ed crashing into the ground and for poor Alphonse to be squished by the table. In the end, only Mustang and Riza were left standing. Mustang, because his desk was out of reach of the domino effect, and Riza, because she had managed to move out of the way in time.

"Ow," Amy said rubbing her head which had collided with the chair which was now lying on its back.

Amy herself was leaning against the underside of the seat of the chair because it was flipped over on its back. One of her arms was pinned against the chair while the other was draped over one of the legs. Her ankle stung a little bit and so did her head. Cautiously she propped herself up to see how the rest of the room looked. Desks, chairs, and papers were everywhere and the Mustang's subordinates didn't look so good either. Fuery, Falmann, Havoc, Breda, and Hughes were all lying in uncomfortable positions with papers everywhere and their chairs toppled over or on top of them. Armstrong was just lying across the isle with a few chairs on top of him. Ed's head was currently under a folder of some sort with one of his feet stuck in a chair. Al was no where to be seen. If Amy were to guess he was trapped under the table, which because of the divider had toppled over at a weird angle so one side of the table was against the floor and the top of the divider was facing the floor forming a triangle space in-between.

Mustang groaned out of frustration and put his head in his hands.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Ed roared as he regained consciousness.

He threw the folder off his head and tried to stand up but he couldn't cause his leg was stuck in a chair and he fell face down. The other men were awakened by Ed's screaming and they all began to push stuff off of them and stand up. Ed screamed some curses which were muffled by the floor and flipped over so he was on his back and sat up. He put his one hand against the chair and attempted to push it off his foot (his foot was stuck between the bars that made up the back of the chair) but all that happened is his boot came off.

"Stupidpieceofshitwhywon'titcomeoff" he mumbled angrily trying to pull his foot free.

Suddenly Ed smiled and stopped trying to break the chair. He took a pen off the ground and began to draw unsteadily against the back of the chair with his left hand. He had a serious look across his face as he drew the circle. Then Ed pressed his left hand against the circle. There was a bright blue light and some wind. Amy closed her eyes and held onto her hat. The bars of the chair bent so Ed could pull his foot free. He smirked as he pulled on his boot and stood up looking proud of his accomplishment.

"Way to go Ed you outsmarted a chair," Havoc commented sarcastically.

Ed glared at him and then snorted.

"Well at least I don't have ink all over me," Ed retorted.

Havoc looked down at his uniform. There was a giant black ink stain covering his right arm. Havoc's face sank as he saw this and his cigarette drooped.

"How am I supposed to get this stain out?" he asked miserably to no one in particular, "I don't have the kind of money to get this dry cleaned."

"Didn't you just get your paycheck last week?" Breda asked brushing some dust off his arm and casting a glance at Havoc.

"Yeah but I was planning on using it on my new girlfriend," Havoc explained, "Her name is Lauren and she is so beautiful! We're going on a date tonight and I want to buy her something nice!"

Havoc smiled dreamily as he thought of his new girlfriend.

"Just get her some flowers," Breda told him, "Your uniform is more important then one girl you've just started dating. Besides she probably will dump you by the end of the week."

"NEVER!" Havoc proclaimed, "Lauren is a nice sweet girl and she adores me. We are in love!"

"Isn't the girl Colonel has a date with also named Lauren," Fuery said while trying to straighten the room out.

"It's just a coincidence," Havoc said defensively, "There are lots of Laurens in the world."

"What's her last name?" Breda asked.

"Lauren Rozaliina," Havoc said, "It sounds beautiful just like she is."

"Lauren Rozaliina has a date with Colonel Mustang at 6:30pm today at the Bistro restaurant off Main Street," Falman dictated and once again sounding like a dictionary.

Instantly Havoc became depressed and the smoke from his cigarette went out. He slumped over in the chair Fuery had just up righted and stared at the ceiling in remorse.

"Told you," Breda said, "She was probably going to dump you tonight. It's a good thing you didn't waste your money."

"I thought we were meant to be," Havoc muttered, "I thought she cared for me."

"Don't worry Second Lieutenant I'm sure you'll find another girl soon," Fuery said trying to cheer his fellow worker up.

Breda and Falman both patted Havoc on the shoulder sympathetically as Havoc continued to be depressed.

"Don't worry Havoc I have something to cheer you up," Hughes said suddenly appearing next to Havoc's chair. "Pictures of my dear ELYSIA," he said in a sing-song voice.

Hughes reached into his pocket and pulled out at least a dozen photos and shoved them in Havoc's face. It was then that Hughes noticed his pictures were crinkled.

"ELYSIA NO!" Hughes shouted in despair, "NO HOW DARE YOUR PERFECT FACE GET MESSED UP!"

Tears began to stream down his face and everyone in the office was staring at him including Ed and Al, who was now free from the clutches of the table thanks to Armstrong.

"DON'T WORRY MY DARLING I WILL FIX THIS RIGHT AWAY!" Hughes announced.

He then ran over to Mustang who was still sitting at his desk looking exasperated.

"Do your little magic thingy and fix my pictures of dear Elysia!" Hughes commanded while shoving the pictures of his daughter in Mustang's face.

Mustang looked at the man irritated or would have if he could see through the pictures. Really he was just glaring at the photos.

"Unless you want me to set those photos on fire, I suggest you move them from in from of my face," Mustang seethed.

Hughes gasped astonished at the idea anyone would burn photos of his precious daughter from above and backed away whispering to the photos that he "would allow no harm to come to them".

"Anyway," Mustang said regaining the attention of the group, "As I was saying before this whole incident."

Everyone in the room turned to look at Amy who flushed embarrassed and averted her eyes.

"Amy you need protection and in order to give you this we are making you join the military," Mustang told her, "That way you can be under our watch at all times."

"_The military?"_ Amy thought confused.

They had to be mistaken, someone like her couldn't join the military. She was too free spirited and opinionated not to mention klutzy. Amy would get shot in less than two minutes for stating her opinion to a superior officer or she would trip and accidentally shoot herself. Besides what could she do in the military? They wouldn't just take her in for free, she would need to offer them something. But what could Amy offer them? Back in her own world Amy could have offered them her brain power but here all of her knowledge was pretty much useless except for the Full Metal Alchemist books she read and some science. Even the most basic logic Amy had couldn't be used here. They had different foods, different customs, and lacked most of the technology she had grown so used to over her lifespan. She didn't even know what year it was.

Besides even if they did take her into the military, which is highly unlikely, what kind of role could she take anyway? She couldn't be a state alchemist no matter how much she wanted to. Amy was no Mary Sue, she wouldn't be able to learn years of alchemy in such a short time period. Plus Amy was sure that if she even so much as looked at an alchemy book something would blow up. What kind of job could Mustang offer a fifteen year old girl with no experience, no knowledge, no family, and still allow her to travel around with the Elric brothers?

"You are going to be the new military scout," Mustang said.

Apparently that job.

* * *

Tigger: Uhmm there will be no okame this time because my dog has pressed a bunch of random keys on the keyboard making the screen flip sideways. So now I have to turn my head to see what I'm typing and it is wuite painful. Also the mouse is being evil and not cooperating. If any of you have any ideas on how to fix this please tell me my neck really hurts.

Ed: Serves you right!

Tigger: (throws sideways hammer at him) SHUT UP ED

Al: Here we go again

Amy: Wouldn't it be nice if we could have a peaceful endig for once?

Al: I don't think that's possible.

Amy: Neither do I, Al. Neither do I.


	11. Military Worries and Bone Crushing Hugs

Tigger: HELLO EVERYONE! GUESS WHAT THE EVIL THING IS FINALLY OVER!

Ed: (sarcastically) woot

Tigger: Don't spoil my good mood Ed. Anyway I was originally going to save this chapter for Sunday. But you all waited long enough so here it is.

Ed: No one cares.

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! Anyway I want to thank furuba8080, xWeaselxWolfx, Call-me-Lie-chan, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Nicola Meskhenet, and anime.storm for reviewing. I would also like to thank KyuukiTheAnimeFreak, Goldenfightergirl, soksondatree, amd xObsidianx for favoring.

Al: It's so nice that they all review even though you really don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characthers, and that you only own Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile.

Amy: Al not you too.

Tigger: AL YOU HAVE BETRAYED ME!

Al: I'm sorry I was just saying the truth.

Ed: The truth hurts. (smirks)

(Tigger throws sharp pointy pencils at Ed)

Ed: Hey watch it!

Tigger: COME HERE I HAVE MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM! (holds up more pencils and Ed runs away with Tigger chasing)

Al: I hope brother will be alright...

Amy: Be glad it's not a hammer. She has scary accuracy with that. Anyway enjoy the chapter.

* * *

Amy stared shell shocked at Mustang. They wanted her to join the military?! Her, as in Amy Kishi would be an official military member in Full Metal Alchemist?

The rest of the room looked at Amy for a response but all they got was Amy staring at them in shock.

"_I would be in the military. I would be in charge of saving people's lives. I might have to kill someone. All of my actions will be watched. I can't do anything without permission. People will hate me. People will try to kill me. I might have to fight in a war,"_ Amy thought in horror and shock, "_I can't express my opinions. I'll have no social life. It will be like being tied down with steel rope. If they think I will betray them, they'll kill me. If we lose a war, I'll be killed. If I state my opinion, I will be killed. I'll have to walk a very thin line and if anyone finds out about where I came from or what I know I'll most likely be killed. And I have no option but to join."_

It was true. Amy had no other options. She needed to get information about how to get home. She knew that if she had any chance of finding a way to get home at all she would need lots of information and people to back her up. The Military had the biggest library in the country, but she would only be able to read it if she was a member of the military. Also, if she traveled around with the Elrics she could find the Philosopher's stone and use that to get home. Plus it wasn't like she had anywhere to go. She had no knowledge of the country, no money, no means to earn money, no family, and no where to go home to. If she didn't join the military she would have to live on the streets. Besides, with all the information she knew Colonel Mustang wasn't just going to let her go skipping out of the building.

But what about being in the military? Her life would be in constant danger. She would have to hang around with people twice her age or older and they would expect her to do an adult's job. Before this whole strange experience Amy had only one job and that was working at a tutoring center where all she did was grade papers. Amy highly doubted anyone in the military needed their reports graded. Was she even mature enough for this? Back at home Amy could be considered somewhat mature, at least compared to others her age. She set her priorities straight and followed through with them but that's it. She couldn't cook unless the directions were on the food and she couldn't do laundry. Amy could clean but anyone could do that if they tried. Most of the time Amy had been your typical bookworm teenager with a weird group of friends, i-pod and laptop included.

Never mind all that, what would Amy do as a scout or better yet how would she become one? From past experience, also known as Wikipedia, Amy had learned that a scout is sort of like a spy in that they do reconnaissance work. Besides that Amy didn't know anything else. And what about becoming part of the military? Wouldn't that mean she would have to go to military school for at least a year? Amy didn't have a year to waste sitting in a building learning about the military of another country that wasn't supposed to even exist. If she wanted to do that she could find a way home and then go back to school. How did Mustang plan to make her part of the military? However he planned to get her in she hoped it would be easy and soon, the sooner she got in the sooner she could go home. But if it was so easy why wasn't everybody a scout? Amy answered her own question, because if becoming one wasn't hard then the job itself must be the hard part. But what cold make a job so hard? Did that mean a lot of paper work or having to work at night? The name sounded innocent enough but that didn't mean her work would be easy. Maybe she would become a spy and have to go on dangerous missions.

Amy tried to imagine herself as a spy.

Mission impossible played in the background as she snuck around a brick building. She was wearing all black and she stuck her hand out from around a corner. No one was there and Amy clambered over to a window. Stealthily she climbed inside. Suddenly red beams appeared and Amy had to cross them. Amy could practically see herself crawling and ducking through the lasers. Then, at the last laser, Amy would trip over her own two feet and sound the alarm.

That's exactly what would happen.

"_Wait," _Amy thought, "_Do they even have lasers in Amestris?"_

Amy shook her head, that was a stupid thought and really it didn't matter, Amy had to do this. She had to get in and become part of the military. Then she had to find a way home and get home. If she didn't do this, she would probably never come across another chance like this ever again. Praying silently that what she was doing wouldn't come back to haunt her, Amy looked at Mustang.

"What exactly would I do as a scout?" she asked in a clearly determined voice.

Mustang smiled, glad to see she was considering his offer. The others observed as the scene unfolded.

"Well if you were able to get in you would be under my command," Mustang continued, "Evidently you would need to be able to travel around to look for clues so you would probably be an area scout."

Amy nodded in understanding, trying to keep the serious look on her face while she panicked inwardly.

"An area scout is someone who travels to different villages or cities and reports back on their conditions. They're important because they inform the military of the status of the county. If there are any suspicious activities going on, if the economy is suffering, if the area is under threat of an outside attack, or if there is simply just good resources for the military it would be your job to report it," Mustang informed her.

Amy nodded again. What was she getting herself into? Wait what did Mustang mean by suspicious activities? Did he mean homunculus? No, that couldn't be it no one but her knew they existed yet. Maybe he meant rebel groups or a gang of thugs. Didn't that mean she might accidentally run across these suspicious activities and get caught up in them? The military better cover hospital bills for injuries that occur on while on duty.

"See the job is quite simple," Mustang smirked.

Actually it looked like he was trying to smile but turned out as a smirk. It wasn't a good smirk ever. It was one of those I-know-something-you-don't-know-and-I'm-not-going-to-tell-you smirks, which made Amy believe that the job was a lot harder then Mustang was letting on and that she would have to find out what he was hiding all by herself.

"However most people who are interested in joining the military must go to the academy," he pointed out, "But you are probably in a hurry to get home, am I right?"

Why did Amy feel like she was getting into something bad? She nodded yes.

"Well then I have a deal for you. I will give you two weeks to study for the military academy exam. If you pass it you will be welcomed into our ranks. However, if you fail you will have to go to the military academy and graduate the normal way," Mustang leaned back in his chair casually and examined his fingernails, "Which in reality isn't so bad, unless you're in a hurry."

Translation, if you don't pass the exam you will have to spend more time here in this world. Basically, Amy had to pass the exams at all costs. Only she didn't know what it was on or where to get books to study for it or how much knowledge she would need or where she would be staying during the whole studying period. She wasn't even a citizen of this country, how would they get persuade the rest of the military to let her take the exams? Would she need to take a citizenship test like they did in the United States? Amy actually thought that was pretty stupid. Why did you need to know how many senators there were for each state to become a citizen? It had no value. Most citizens born in the United States didn't even know that. Amy mentally hit herself, she was getting off track.

"Why would you let me join the military?" Amy asked cautiously, "I'm not a citizen and most militaries don't hire people who aren't a citizen of their country."

"Smart girl," Mustang complimented, Amy grew slightly red at that comment, "But we have that covered. Tomorrow before you leave for the Rockbells we'll give you all the study materials you need and we'll have some sort of cover story for you."

"Wait what do you mean when she goes to the Rockbells tomorrow?" Ed demanded, "I'm not taking her with us. You may all believe her story but I find something fishy about her. Besides I refuse to teach her anything about the military I have better things to do."

"You won't have to Full Metal," Mustang replied, "Amy will have to teach herself everything, she can't have help from any of us. She is also allowed to travel anywhere she wants, including the Rockbell residence especially if the military personal assigned to watch her is there too."

"We're not going to take care of her damn it," Ed said angrily.

"I never said it would be you. The person taking care of her will also be the person supervising you," Mustang told Ed.

It was at that moment that Armstrong began to cry. Tears poured down his face and a trickle of snot came out of his nose as roses and sparkles suddenly surrounded him. Amy took a step back to avoid him and the other military members looked away except for Havoc, Hughes, Ed and Al who stared at the man dumbfounded and disturbed. Suddenly Armstrong launched a hug and scooped up Ed in his arms while giving him a bone crushing hug. Now very scared Amy began to scoot behind the nearest military member, who happened to be Riza, so that she could have a shield in case Armstrong decided to hug her because of "her traumatic experience".

"I HAVE HEARD OF YOU, EDWARD ELRIC!" he shouted now making Ed deaf while at the same time squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"Pure love is what made you try to bring your mother back and the same mighty love also made you make the noble sacrifice to bring your brother back," Armstrong cried while looking into the distance.

No one was really paying attention to what Armstrong was saying just to the sparkles surrounding him. Ed was just glad, he let go of him.

"YOU HAVE MOVED ME!" Armstrong shouted and once again tried to hug Ed.

Ed put his foot in Armstrong's face to keep the teary man away.

"Don't touch me," Ed told Armstrong.

"I am also moved by the radiant Amy's story and her desire to go back to her family," Armstrong cried turning to look for Amy.

Amy tried her best to hide behind Riza. She did not want to get hugged by Armstrong, especially a crying, nose dripping, emotional Armstrong who could probably snap her in half.

"YOUR STORY IS MOST WONDERFUL!" Armstrong bellowed once he spotted Amy.

Amy let out a squeak as Armstrong came forward. Her stomach knotted and she tried to make herself look as small as possible. Riza wisely moved out of the way leaving Amy wide open. Armstrong swooped Amy up and delivered her, her second bone crushing hug for the day. Desperately Amy swung her feet back and forth but she was too high off the ground to even skim the floor. Suddenly Amy no longer felt arms around her and she fell onto the floor. Her butt hit the floor first and Amy knew she could add another bruise to her already acquired injuries. Gingerly she got up trying not to hurt herself any more than she already was and looked up at Armstrong who was wiping away tears with a handkerchief.

"_Note to self,"_ she thought bitterly, "_Never let Armstrong hug you unless you have a desire to hurt yourself."_

"You've got a big mouth Colonel," Ed whispered to Mustang while Armstrong wiped away his tears.

Ed's expression was a mixture of anger, stress, and Amy guessed unwillingness for having Armstrong know his secret especially if it meant being hugged all the time. Amy suppressed a shiver. Like most American teenagers she liked having her own personal space but Armstrong had clearly never even heard of the term. If he hugged her like that when he was 'moved' by her past, Amy would hate to think what he could do when he was happy. He'd probably snap her back in two. Amy felt a shiver going up her spine, maybe she shouldn't think about that happening.

"Well," Mustang began not looking Ed in the eye and at the same time trying to avoid looking at Armstrong, "When I was approached by someone like that I had no option but to tell him about your past."

Before Ed could reply, Armstrong spoke up.

"I was so moved," he said wiping away another tear, "So that is why I will escort you to your automail specialist."

Wait, if Armstrong was being Ed's escort and Amy's escort was the same one as Ed's then…..

"Frickshidarnit," Amy mumbled.

The few military personal who heard her gave her a strange look but Amy paid them no mind.

This meant she had to spend the next few days with Armstrong. The crying, seven foot tall, practically bald guy with a bunny on his handkerchief (seriously there were bunnies on his handkerchief Amy could see them) was to escort her. She probably be hugged to death before she even met Winry. Not to mention Ed was not exactly happy with her at the moment. GAH! This meant she would have to sit on a train with an angry teenage boy and overemotional giant. So not how she imagined spending her time here.

"What?" Ed asked shocked, "What are you talking about I don't need any escorts."

"Are you saying you are going to travel around like that when Scar's around?" Riza pointed out, "You need an escort to protect you if he came back."

"I'm fine without one," Ed rebutted.

"Yes and that is why you were saved by a dimension traveling teenage girl with a hammer," Breda stated sarcastically.

"Not to mention you can't carry around Al when your body's like that," Havoc added.

"I'm fine with somebody other then the Major," Ed said switching gears.

"I have to go back to Central soon," Hughes explained.

"I can't leave headquarters," Mustang said.

"I have to stay here and make sure the Colonel does his work," Riza explained.

"I've got zero confidence in protecting you when it is that dangerous," Havoc said.

"What he said," Fuery, Breda, and Falman all said at the same time.

"_At least they're honest," _Amy thought as she felt a bead of sweat run down the back of her head.

"It's decided," Armstrong spoke confidently and put a hand on Ed's head.

"DON'T DECIDE THINGS FOR ME!" Ed roared bristling and shaking a fist.

"Children should listen to their superiors," Armstrong said bending down to Ed's height.

"I AM NOT A KID," Ed steamed and turned around, "AL YOU TELL HIM!"

But Al wasn't listening to his brother instead he had sparkles in his eyes and Amy swore he was glowing of happiness if that was possible. But then again any doubts Amy had about something not being possible had dissolved as of twenty-four hours ago.

"BROTHER," he exclaimed happily, "THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE BEEN TRATED LIKE A KID SINCE I BECAME A SUIT OF ARMOR!"

Ed fell over. He had been betrayed by his own brother, poor him. Amy sniggered and Ed's ear twitched like he heard her. She immediately stopped, Amy didn't need Ed to attack her right now.

"If you insist on not having Armstrong I'll give you a court-martial for not obeying orders," Mustang threatened.

Mustang was still sitting at his desk and had his hands folded together with his chin resting on it while smirking evilly at Ed. An evil aurora radiated from him and Amy swore that he was probably laughing evilly in his head right now.

"That's playing dirty!" Ed objected angry and nervous at the same time.

"It is decided let us pack without delay," Armstrong announced.

"Major, you're not leaving until tomorrow," Riza pointed out.

"Oh you are most right Lieutenant," Armstrong said, "We shall leave bright and early tomorrow morning!"

Bright and early? What did he mean by bright and early? Surely he meant some time after the sun came up, right? Cause being up bright and early meant their had to be sunlight, right? Amy hoped so. She really didn't want to spend more time with the Major then she absolutely had to. This trip wasn't going to be fun. Sure Amy wanted to meet Winry, her personal hero, but now she was unsure. Was it worth it? As she saw it Amy had two options 1) Go and be tortured by Armstrong and meet Winry who would be busy killing Ed for breaking her automail or 2) Stay here with the military and not be tortured by Armstrong. Option 2 definitely outweighed option 1.

"Mr. Colonel Mustang sir," Amy said not exactly sure how to address him, "Is it necessary for me to go to the Rockbells? I mean I'm sure Ed wants to get fixed up as soon as possible and I don't want to delay him."

That part was true but really Amy didn't care that much if Ed had to wait an extra day. She did however care about how much time she would have to spend with Major Hugsalot.

Mustang eyed Amy and Amy tried to keep an impassive face. It seemed like Mustang could see right through her plan and read her mind. He shifted in his seat and Amy practically jumped she was so nervous.

"_Please, please, please, don't let him see through my plan,"_ she begged whatever God that felt like listening to a 15 year old girl's problems at the time, "_I don't want to be near Armstrong."_

Suddenly Mustang's face broke into a grin.

"Nope sorry no can do," he grinned, "But here's my number if you ever need someone to talk to."

He tossed a folded piece of paper at her and Amy barely managed to catch it.

"_What," _she thought staring blankly at the paper, "_What just happened?"_

Quickly Amy composed her face. She wasn't giving up that easily.

"Are you sure sir?" Amy asked trying to be as polite as possible, "I don't want to be a burden."

"YOU WILL NOT BE A BURDEN TO ME, MS. KISHI," Armstrong bellowed, "IT IS OBVIOUS YOU ARE A KIND AND CARING SOUL WHO CARES ABOUT OTHERS WELL BEING BUT FEAR NOT I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE TAKEN CARE OF!"

He flexed his muscles and struck a pose. Once again his coworkers seem to pretend they didn't know the man and Amy stood there dumbfounded.

"There the problem is settled," Mustang said avoiding looking at Armstrong who was still flexing his muscles, "You will leave tomorrow with Full Metal, Alphonse, and Major Armstrong."

Amy nodded trying to keep her face from revealing what she really felt like.

"_I have to spend at least three days with Armstrong," _she thought, "_Seventy-two hours. I could barely stand him for the amount of time we've been in here…the irony gods must hate me."_

Amy almost felt like crying out of pity for herself but didn't for many reasons. One it wasn't a very good reason to cry. Two she had no tears to cry with. Three Armstrong would probably think she was crying tears of happiness and hug her or that she was upset about not leaving sooner and hug her. Either way the results were not good.

"_It can't be too bad right?"_ she asked herself, "_I'll be busy studying so maybe he'll leave me alone."_

Amy pondered this optimistic thought for a moment.

"_Yeah right."_

The day Armstrong stopped being loud and annoying would be the day Edward Elric admitted he was tiny and that would never happen.

"Colonel Mustang," Al stated gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

"Yes, Alphonse," Mustang said.

"Where is Amy going to spend the night?" Al asked innocently.

* * *

Tigger: Hey everyone I'm going to announce the contest winners.

Amy: I forgot about that.

Al: You mean the contest where every one voted the character they would like to glare at the most?

Tigger: That's the one. And I finally got a winner...after I removed all of Ed's votes for Mustang.

Ed: (whistles while looking away)

Mustang: It doesn't matter. No one would like to glare at me. I am very popular among the woman.

Amy: You keep telling yourself that. How did you get here anyway?

Mustang: I have no idea. Where are we anyway?

Al: Someplace Tigger made up. It's actually quite nice here.

Ed: Yeah if you like the fact that we can't leave.

Tigger: (clears throat) Anyway as I was saying. The winner of the contest (insert drum roll here) IS COLONEL MUSTANG!

Mustang: WHAT! How is that possible? Everyone loves me! Girls fall at my feet!

Tigger: Well apparently they like to glare at you more. If it makes you feel better, Envy came in second.

Mustang: THEY LIKE TO GLARE AT ME MORE THEN THE EVIL VILLIAN WHO TRIES TO KILL PEOPLE!

Tigger: If I said no would you please put your gloves away?

Ed: Hah serves you right you useless bastard.

Mustang: I AM NOT USELESS! (starts snapping fingers so fire bombs start exploding)

Tigger/Amy: GAH! RUN FOR IT!

(Amy, Tigger, Ed, and Al run away with Mustang chasing)

Amy: I blame you, Ed!

Ed: SHUT UP!

(bomb explodes)

Tigger: THANK YOU FOR READING PLEASE REVIEW! (another bomb explodes) NOW RUN REVIEWERS BEFORE HE GETS YOU!


	12. Let's Get Sidetracked

(You see Tigger, Ed, Al, and Amy sitting on the floor gasping for air. All of them have slight burns and soot on their clothes and the room around them is black and covered with ash.)

Tigger: (between gasps) We (gasp) are (gasp) alive! (She falls over backwards)

Amy: Yeah, no (gasp) thanks (gasp) to Ed.

Ed: Shut (gasp) up.

Al: They are right, brother. It is your fault.

Ed: You're supposed to be on my side!

Al: I would be except for the fact that you have stopped using your brain and almost got me melted.

Tigger: You got burneeed.

Amy: Oh the irony.

Tigger: Oh be quiet. Anyway I must thank **Wandering Hitokiri **for distracting Mustang. It's thanks to her that we're still alive and not some ash on the floor.

Amy: Yeah, it was funny how she soaked him with water.

Ed: She didn't even mention that you don't own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characters only Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile.

Tigger: (throws hammer at Ed) Anyway I want to thank Wandering Hitokiri, anime.storm, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, and xWeaselxWolfx for reviewing. I also wanted to thank BlackFlamedKitsune2000 and full.naruto. Now excuse me as I go make Ed clean up this mess.

Ed: WHAT?!

Tigger: You heard me! Start cleaning!

* * *

There was a very long silence following this statement. Where was Amy going to spend the night? Did she have enough money for a hotel room? What about a passport? If anyone asked her about it and she didn't have one they would throw her in jail. She probably didn't have enough money to pay for her bail either. They couldn't just leave her on the street either, especially with Scar still running around. So that only left one option. Amy would have to stay with someone.

Everyone turned to look at Mustang to see what he suggested. Immediately, Mustang turned to look at his subordinates.

"Well," he said glaring them down.

"Sorry sir she can't stay with me," Havoc spoke up immediately, "My dorm barely fits me in it."

"Same as him," Falman, Fuery, and Breda agreed.

"I'm staying at a military hotel," Hughes said, "Too small for two people and I don't think she has enough money to pay for another room."

"I need to finish up work here tonight," Riza stated.

"Al and I can't take care of her in our current situation," Ed objected.

"What about you Colonel?" Kain asked him.

"I have a date tonight," Mustang said.

"YES A DATE WITH MY GIRLFRIEND!" Havoc cried out, remembering that Mustang had succeeded in stealing his latest girlfriend, "YOU DON'T DESERVE HER!"

"Down Lieutenant Havoc, we shall not discuss personal matters right now," Mustang ordered.

"YOU ONLY SAY THAT BECAUSE YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!" Havoc cried.

Breda, Hawkeye, and Falman patted Havoc on the shoulder while Armstrong and Fuery cried and tried to convince Havoc he would get another girl. Ed was busy pretending he didn't know these people and Al looked like he wanted to comfort Havoc but couldn't for obvious reasons. Amy briefly wondered how anything got done in this place if everyone got distracted so easily.

"_I wonder if it's a requirement for you to be.."_ Amy paused trying to think of the right word, "_unique to join the military. Or maybe you just have to be like that if you work under Mustang."_

Amy watched a few more minutes of the office scene. Fuery and Armstrong continued to cry both using bunny tissues. (_Where did Armstrong buy those anyway?)_ Al was crying as well. (_How does he do that?_) Hughes was showing Havoc some pictures in order to "cheer him up". Falman was listing off available girls and their pros and cons while Havoc continued to sniffle. Mustang and Ed looked irritated, and Riza and Breda just stood by Havoc. Finally, Amy decided it was time to get this circus show back on track.

"Colonel," Amy said over Havoc's sniffles, "I still don't have a place to stay."

The room fell into silence as the military members remembered the original purpose for being there. Then suddenly…

"YOU CAN STAY WITH ME!" Armstrong shouted his mood changing immediately, "I CAN TELL YOU ALL ABOUT THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY TREE!"

Amy backed away fearfully. There was no way she was going to hang out with Armstrong the entire night. She'd rather sleep on the streets. She had as much desire to listen to Armstrong as she did to see Hughes's photos. Besides Amy's friend had showed Amy the episode where they tried to get Havoc a date, Armstrong's entire family was buff. His little sister could lift a freaking piano! With one hand! And the girl didn't even have any signs of muscles! The last thing Amy wanted was some bonding time with the world's sparkliest, most emotional family. Especially when their dog could probably lift a table.

Armstrong advanced sparkles and all, and Amy backed up even more trying to avoid being hugged. She had had enough bone-crushing hugs to last her a lifetime or least for another twenty-four hours. Unfortunately Amy's foot slipped out from under her and she fell backwards.

During the whole escapade of being hugged multiple times by Armstrong, Amy had been placed near the front of the room with most of the officers and nearby Ed and Al. So when she slipped she hit Al and the box where his body parts where in (like his other arm and stuff) making them fall over and scatter all over the room. There was some loud clanging as metal armor smashed against the floor and Ed let out a loud "ouf" as one of Al's arms hit him in the stomach. Amy's back hit the floor and she stared up at the ceiling dazed. Suddenly something silver fell out of the sky and Amy quickly put her arms in front of her face to protect herself. The object hit her stomach and Amy felt the wind being knocked out of her. She tried to breathe in but no air would go on. Amy panicked. Desperately she tried to have air come into her lungs but they felt as if they were shut off. Her breathing became shallower and Amy's heartbeat began to rise. Finally some air entered her lungs. It took a few moments of gasping for breath before Amy could breathe normally again. Her arms fell from her face tiredly and the tension in her body disappeared.

"Amy," someone called her name.

Amy opened her eyes. Al's head was sitting on her stomach. To normal people that don't know Alphonse Elric, they would have been freaked out. To those who do know Alphonse Elric, they would know that he is just a soul in a suit of armor. They also know that Al will continue to live no matter what you do to his body, as long as the blood seal is in place. So this would explain the reason that Amy was not screaming her head off at the moment. However she was still very startled. She knew that Al could talk even when beheaded, but it was still freaky. The voice wasn't coming from the head though. It was coming from the chest cavity where the blood seal was. Al's eyes were also no longer bright red, as they usually were, but instead dull like there was no life in him. Immediately Amy knew that she had knocked poor Alphonse over.

"Oh no! Al I am so sorry," she apologized sitting up, "I didn't mean it honest."

Amy stood up and looked around while holding Al's head in her arms. Havoc and Fuery were scavenging around for pieces of Alphonse that were buried under the office supplies that Amy had knocked over the first time. Armstrong helped them by lifting pieces of heavy furniture up so they could look under there, although no one stood directly under the furniture in fear Armstrong would drop it. Breda was trying to straighten the office a little bit and Falman was nursing a large bump on the head. Mustang, who had taken cover behind his desk, was looking at the room in dismay while Riza tried to wake up an unconscious Hughes. As Amy surveyed, Ed got up and held up his brother's arm.

"Brother!" Al's voice could be heard.

Al's chest was lying a few feet behind Amy.

"Brother! Where are all of you?" Al asked.

"_Oh,"_ Amy thought, "_Can Al not see without his head on?"_

Then Amy looked down. She was holding Al's head but she had accidentally covered up the eyes with one of her arms. Quickly Amy removed her arm and walked over to Alphonse. She placed his head on his body and then attempted to push his body into a sitting position. Luckily, Al's leg was still attached and Amy placed a chair behind his back to support him.

"Al I am so so so so sorry," she apologized, "I didn't mean to. I slipped I swear."

Amy's face was flustered and her words came out hurried and mumbled. She was so embarrassed. This was the second time today she had managed to completely uproot Mustang's office. Gah! Why couldn't she be like a normal person for two seconds? Normal people are not a complete klutz and do not manage to knock someone unconscious just by slipping.

"It's okay Amy," Al said, "I know it was an accident."

Ed came over and kneeled next to his brother.

"Hey Al you okay?" he asked him.

"I'm fine brother," Al reassured him, "Remember I can't feel any pain."

Ed frowned for a second before smiling at his brother.

"Man your arm weighs a ton," he said, "No wonder your punches hurt so much."

"My arm does not weigh a ton," Al said slightly offended.

"You've never been hit with it," Ed countered.

"Hey Ed it's nice that your bonding with your brother and all but could you please get over here and help us find Al's missing body parts?" Havoc asked.

Ed glared at the man but went to help them. Amy sat there, behind Al, unsure of what to do. Should she help too? It was her fault. What if they couldn't find a body part and then when Ed went to heal Al, there would be a giant hole in his chest? It would all be her fault! Amy did not want that to happen so she decided to ask the soldiers if they needed assistance. She stood next to Al and looked out at them. Everyone was trying to upright the room while searching for Al's missing body parts. Hughes was still out cold though and the others had just put him in a corner so he would be out of the way.

"Should I help?" Amy asked them.

"NO!" they all shouted in unison.

Way to help her self confidence. Amy sat on the balls of her feet, dejected. She hadn't meant to knock Al over. Besides it wasn't her fault. If Armstrong hadn't tried to hug her, she wouldn't have backed up and slipped. Did they all need to yell at her like that? Accidents happen don't they? Sure hers were a bit more harmful then other accidents but it was still an accident. Amy traced patterns on the carpet with her finger looking glum.

Al noticed Amy's sudden shift in behavior. He knew that she hadn't meant to cause any harm and he felt guilty because Amy looked so upset. Maybe he should try to cheer her up? That seemed like a good plan and it would keep her busy until they fixed up the room.

"It's okay Amy," Al tried to comfort her, "I mean you could keep me company."

That wasn't exactly grade A comfort material but Al was trying his best. He had never tried to comfort someone who was upset over an accident they caused and wasn't allowed to help fix the accident. What exactly are you supposed to say to them? Sorry, you have balance problems? No, that would be mean. Besides he was trying to cheer Amy up, not bring her moral down.

"I didn't mean to knock you over," Amy muttered.

She was still drawing patterns on the floor and refused to look at Al. Al tried again.

"I know," Al said in an understanding voice, "Accidents happen."

"They always seem the happen to me," Amy pointed out.

Al sweatdropped. It was true. In the entire three hours he had known Amy, he could say she was one of the most accident prone people he had ever met. During the short time period she had managed to slip, trip, and knock more things over then Al did in a month. But Al was going to tell Amy that.

"It can't be that bad," Al said trying to comfort her.

"I once walked into a wall, stumbled backwards, and dropped a heavy book on my foot," Amy confessed.

"Oh," was Al's only response.

He was a seven foot tall suit of armor and yet he was less accident prone then her. The worse thing he had done lately was knock over a radio, but he managed to fix that with alchemy.

"Maybe it's a talent," Al offered.

"A talent?" Amy asked disbelievingly.

"Sure," Al improvised, "I mean you tripped and avoided Scar's hand and you also avoided Armstrong's hug."

"I guess," Amy mumbled.

She thought this over. One could consider being so klutzy a talent but it wasn't a very good talent. A real talent was the ability to draw awesome pictures, sing beautifully, do complicated gymnastics, or kick butt with martial arts. Tripping and falling was not a talent. Sure it had helped her out of one or two situations, but those situations were mostly self-inflicted. If she hadn't been so clumsy in the first place she wouldn't need her clumsiness to get her out.

Amy sighed. She didn't feel any better. She was trying to make a good impression but it seemed whoever was up there was determined to make a fool of her. Amy was a great person once you got to know her, but all these people knew was that she was a klutzy, loud, emotional, FMA-addicted teenage girl. She had so much respect for these people and she wanted them to acknowledge her as an equal. Yet it didn't seem like that was going to happen right now. It was like a child meeting their favorite idol and then accidentally sneezing on them, so their idol gets disgusted and walks away.

"_Maybe that is a little extreme,"_ Amy thought, "_But still…"_

The only people on this side of the gate who probably liked her as a person were: Riza Hawkeye, the train ticket lady, the train conductor, Armstrong, possibly Al, and Auntie Senile. Back at home, Amy could name at least twenty people who she was friends with off the top of her head. Was it going to continue like this, Amy making a fool of herself and not gaining more then ten friends? She hoped not. Although she was shy at first, Amy loved hanging out with friends, they were really important to her. If she didn't make a lot of friends here she would probably get depressed and lonely.

"_I shouldn't get attached though,"_ Amy thought glumly.

It was true. If she got home, Amy didn't want to feel heartbroken from leaving so many people behind. But at least having friends and missing them was better then having no friends at all.

When Amy had dreamed of going inside Full Metal Alchemist and hanging out with everyone in it, she imagined having a lot more friends. She had imagined going on cool adventures and kicking bad guy butt with Ed and Al. Never did Amy think that Edward Elric could dislike her so much. They had a lot of the same interests and Amy had always admired Ed as a type of idol for herself. He was so smart and he never gave up. She liked the way he faced fear and vanquished evil like it was nothing. Even when he felt that he was at his lowest point, Ed managed to get back up, and she admired that. It was why she liked Al so much too, because he was like his brother in many ways but he was also his own person. Al was calm in the face of danger, he was patient, and made her laugh because of his bluntness. She loved their personalities so much, it was one of the reasons she loved their series. A set of siblings who were such great people, working together, facing evil, using alchemy, and still making the series funny.

Yet, Ed really disliked Amy and it kind of hurt. It wasn't that she had called him short. Other people do that to him and he still hung out with them, after yelling at them for calling him short. Ed probably disliked her for knowing so much about him. He was the only person inside his own head and Ed liked it that way. He liked keeping some things private. Then Amy comes along describing everything about him and knowing his deepest darkest secrets. It must have made Ed really mad to find out his whole life was a book. Amy would have been mad too. But the book was based off Ed or at least Amy liked to think that way. She liked to believe that the series was written about Ed and his adventures and did not dictate Ed and what would happen in his life. She didn't like to believe that because someone put it down on paper, it would happen.

In her own world, this would be considered crazy. If Amy had told this to her friends they would have probably would have wished the same things but would point out the facts and tell her it was a book, not real. Yet, now that Amy was here, maybe her theory wasn't so foolish.

It didn't matter that much though. Ed was still mad at her and she didn't have a clue on how to get him not to be. She just wanted to be his friend. Was that so hard?

Amy sighed. Apparently it was.

* * *

Amy: That's a wrap folks.

Al: That's an interesting expression.

Amy: Tis what I do.

Al: ...uhmm where is my brother?

Amy: He's still cleaning. Tigger is really mad at him.

Al: Poor brother.

Amy: You mean poor Envy.

Al: Poor Envy? Why poor Envy?

Amy: He tried to kidnap Tigger while she was having Ed repaint the walls. Let's just say that Envy should be glad that he can regenerate himself so fast.

(They look to see Envy walking by with a hammer impaled in his skull while Envy is mopping)

Al: Is he cleaning?

Amy: And that is why we don't bother Tigger while she is in a mood.


	13. Blushing Because Brooms Cause Bruises

Tigger: Once upon a time there was a very stupid 15 year old boy alchemist. This boy was very famous and many people wrote fanfiction about him.

Ed: However none of these people (glares at Tigger) actually owned the rights to Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characthers. They only owned the characters they made up such as Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and Auntie Senile.

Tigger: (glares at Ed) As I was saying, many people wrote about this alchemist. Unfortunately the boy was stupid and was very arrogant to those who wrote fanfiction about him. Eventually some people began to get mad at him, and one day after an incident involving the boy's stupidity and fire, one author finally snapped.

Ed: What's there to snap? You hardly had a brain to begin with.

(Long pause as Ed looks smug and Tigger glares)

Tigger: (seething with anger) You are going down! (tackles Ed)

Al: Would this be a bad time to thank **xWeaselxWolfx, Draconian Master, The-Living-Shadow, anime.storm, shikun2669, Lucijune, Shadowess 88, and Skilla**?

(dust ball with Ed and Tigger fighting rolls by)

Amy: Yes, Al I think it would be. Oh yeah, please excuse any foul language in this chapter. It's all Ed's fault.

Ed: HEY!

* * *

Al saw the expression on Amy's face. He didn't like seeing people upset, girls in general. It made him think of how sad his Mom used to be when he was younger. He remembered how he and his brother had always tried to cheer her up. That was how they started alchemy. They did it to see her smile. If you were to ask Ed, he would tell it you it was his idea and that Al was just being an agreeable younger brother. That wasn't true though. Al had wanted to make his mother smile just as much. However, Ed would rather blame himself then let Al feel guilty. Ed was being the "tough" older brother.

Al could see through that though. He knew that his brother suffered and he wanted to prevent Al from feeling the same thing. What Ed didn't realize is that Al suffered despite his attempts. No matter what Ed said, Al still blamed himself. He wanted his mom to smile just as much as Ed did, she was his mother too. Al also felt guilty that he wasn't able to be there with his brother when he needed him the most. When Ed saw "mom". Ed didn't like to talk about it and Al could understand why. All there hard efforts, both of them losing their bodies, and they couldn't even see mom smile.

Al looked at the girl sitting next to him. All these memories were coming back because of her. Al didn't bare hatred for her though. She didn't bring up his mom, even though she knew about it. Amy was just trying to fit in. She was just so upset right now and Al wanted to see her smile, like the smile his brother forgave her.

"Don't be so glum," Al said, "You have such a cute smile."

Amy looked up him startled and a sudden heat rose to her face. She was blushing and she knew it. Amy could feel the heat making her face red. Quickly Amy tried to cover her face with her hands but the sudden motion threw her off balance and she landed on the floor on her bum. This made her even more embarrassed and she quickly shielded her red face behind her hands.

No one had ever sad something like that to her, except maybe her parents and the dentist, but they didn't really count. The first time someone told her she had a cute smile and it was from a boy. Okay so it was really a fourteen year old boy's soul in suit of armor, but compliments were compliments. Amy didn't really have good interaction with boys besides the few she was friends with. All of her guy friends were nerds as well and they played video games for fun and talked with her about manga. What was she supposed to say? Was she supposed to thank him? That seemed like the right thing to do, but Amy felt weird for doing it. Thanking someone for them saying something nice about you. It was a little weird when it was worded like that. But she should still do it. Wait how long had it been since Al had spoken? Maybe it was too late now. What if she thanked him now, wouldn't that be weird? But if she didn't thank him, he would think she was weird or rude or that people were she came from didn't have manners.

"_I'll just get it over with,"_ Amy decided.

Nothing good ever came from waiting. Well that wasn't entirely true. Good stuff did come to some people if they waited. However that didn't apply to everything, like right now for instance. Amy slowly removed the hands from her face. Al was looking at her amused. Amy hid her face again. Why was he looking at her? She couldn't do this when he was staring. But she had to. Amy had waited long enough already.

Once again Amy removed her hands but this time instead of staring at Al she stared at her legs.

"Thanks," she mumbled, loud enough for Al to hear.

Her face grew red again. Had she said the right thing? Did she wait too long? Did she make a fool of herself for thanking him? Maybe over here they didn't thank people for stuff like that. Amy grew worried but then she heard Al chuckle.

She turned to look at him. Was he laughing at her? Al didn't seem like that kind of guy, but she couldn't be sure. Amy gazed at him curiously.

"Sorry for laughing," Al apologized, "And you're welcome."

Amy couldn't help herself, she had to know why Al was laughing. Was it something she did? Was it because her face was red? She hoped it wasn't that. Kids always used to point it out when her face became red. It wasn't her fault that the red was so noticeable on her pale skin. But curiosity burned inside her. Amy had to know. Curiosity killed the cat. Who the hell invented that quote anyway?

"Why were you laughing?" Amy asked him.

"You look so cute when you're embarrassed like that," Al put bluntly.

Amy's face heated up. Gah! Why did Al keep complimenting her? She turned away from Al. There was no way that she wanted him to see her with such a red face. Why did people keep making her blush today? Was it national make Amy blush day? Maybe on this side of the gate it's a hobby making people blush. Well whatever it was Amy wished they would stop. Her stomach felt like it had a cage of butterflies in it and she was sure her blush sensors were all worn out by now.

Al saw Amy turning away and thought he had offended her.

"Oh I'm sorry was that rude?" he apologized sincerely, "I just said what I thought. I'm sorry if I offended you."

Amy turned to face him. Now she felt like the one who was being insulting. She didn't mind compliments that much, she just got embarrassed easily. How do you explain that to someone? You didn't answer someone because you were embarrassed. Oh god that would be embarrassing.

Amy thought about that last sentence for a second.

"_Oh god the irony._"

Maybe she should just tell Al and get it over with.

"No, it wasn't anything like that," Amy explained, "I was just embarrassed. It wasn't rude. I'm sorry if I worried you."

She was able to keep her blush under wraps that time.

"That's okay," Al said, "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

This conversation was getting nowhere. They just kept apologizing to each other, Al because he was so polite and Amy because she was trying to be nice.

"_It's like talking to Ali,"_ Amy thought.

Ali was one of Amy's friends and Ali apologized for everything. Even things other people did. It was nice but kind of weird. When you would tell her she didn't have to apologize, she would apologize for apologizing too much. Amy's current conversation was like that. So she did what she often did with Ali, change the subject.

"Hey have you ever seen a monkey before?" Amy asked Al.

It was silent for a moment as Al took in the randomness of this question.

"No," he answered hesitantly, "I've read about them before though."

"Oh what kind of books do you read?" Amy questioned.

Al smiled which caused Amy to wonder how he did that when he was a suit of armor, but she soon forgot about it. The two of them went into an in-depth conversation over books and what was their favorite type. Amy was beginning to relax. Talking with Al wasn't so bad and she soon found herself acting more and more like her old stuff. Al had a lot of the same interests and he was being nice and not acting suspicious towards her like Ed was. It was like talking to one of her friends back home. Which was weird because technically Amy was talking to a character from a book, yet at the moment that fact wasn't really important.

Al was happy too. He was glad that Amy was treating him like a normal person. Most people were scared when they saw what he really was and didn't act the same towards him. Yet Amy sat here, talking with him like nothing was wrong. Maybe it was because she already knew and was expecting it. It didn't really matter now. While talking, Al noticed Amy loosing up and becoming more open. He was glad that he had been able to get her mind off the subjects troubling her mind. Al was also beginning to like this girl more and more. She had a lot to talk about and she seemed to know a lot about science.

"_I bet brother would like her if he gave her a chance_," Al thought to himself and sighed.

Brother was so suspicious. Even Al could tell that this girl was no threat. He could easily defeat her, not that he would. She was completely harmless, she just knew a lot. Al had to admit her story was a bit strange but once again Al was more open then his brother. Besides if she was hiding something it was probably for a good reason. He and his brother hid stuff all the time. If anything Ed could be considered a hypocrite because their story was just absurd as Amy's, if not more. Souls put in suits of armor? No one would believe that unless they had proof.

While the two teens talked the rest of the military members (minus Hughes) were cleaning up. Ed sighed as leaned against the broom Riza had given him. Why was he cleaning up? It's not like he made the mess. Grudgingly he began to sweep the floor again while keeping an eye out for Al's body parts.

"Hey, is your brother over there flirting?" Havoc whispered to him.

Ed looked up. Indeed Al was chatting away with the girl from earlier. The girl's face was a little red and Ed frowned. Al didn't flirt. Well at least, not on purpose. His brother did seem to have a charm which attracted girls. Which to Ed was unfair, he was the older brother he should be the one with the charm, then again Ed had better things to do.

"No," Ed told Havoc, "She's not his type. They're probably talking about cats or something."

Al had always been better with people even when he was a suit of armor. It was a skill Ed lacked somewhat. Ed always felt distrusting towards people until proven otherwise. He also a habit of hiding things, even from those closest to him. It wasn't because he didn't trust them, but he was afraid it would hurt them to tell them the truth. Ed was really just looking out for the ones he held most dearly.

Havoc frowned while readjusting a desk which had gotten knocked down.

"Al has a type?" Havoc asked.

"Yes," Ed answered disliking this topic more and more, "He has a type."

"Really what kind of girls is he into?" Havoc asked.

Ed shot him a glare.

"Why should you care?" Ed asked.

"No reason," Havoc said retreating from Ed's glare and going back to cleaning.

A few minutes of silence passed and Ed overheard Al and the girl talking. Apparently they were chatting about books they had read.

"Hey do you guys have Shakespeare on this side?" he heard the girl ask.

"Shakespeare?" was Al's reply.

"Yeah, he's a famous script writer. He wrote Romeo and Juliet," the girl explained.

"I don't think I've heard of him," Al replied.

"You guys are missing out…"

Ed tuned the rest of their conversation out. He didn't need to hear about that. What did he care about what his brother said to some girl? Especially some girl who knew all his secrets. Ed's one hand tightened around the broom handle. It was all her fault that they couldn't leave already. Ed wanted to get his hand back and soon. He wasn't looking forward to Winry when she saw what he did to his arm, but he needed to go search for the stone. He couldn't do that without his arm.

The broom got stuck under one of the desks and Ed glared at it. Whose brilliant idea was it to let him sweep? He only had one hand. Sweeping worked better when you had both hands to help you.

"_Probably the Colonel Bastard's idea,"_ Ed thought grudgingly, "_He enjoys seeing me suffer."_

Ed gave the broom another angry tug and it popped out. It hit him on the forehead and Ed fell over. Angry, grumpy, and with a large bruise on his head, Ed was not the best person to be around.

"Taking a break Full Metal?" a voice taunted.

Ed growled. He could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Colonel Bastard," Ed said through clenched teeth.

"Have more respect for your superiors Full Metal," Colonel Mustang ordered.

Ed didn't reply. He just got off the ground trying to save as much as his dignity that was left and trying not to look like a helpless fool. Once he was on his feet, Ed grabbed the evil broom and began to sweep viciously.

"I head that conversation you had with Second Lieutenant Havoc," Mustang said coolly.

Ed glared at the man. Mustang was leaning against the wall. He held a few papers in his hand which were the only signs the man had done any cleaning at all.

"What's it to you Colonel Prick?" Ed replied.

Mustang ignored the new name and only gave Ed a slight smirk. There was nothing Ed wanted more in the world at that moment, then to throw his broom right through the Colonel's head. For some reason the smirk was pulling at the last of Ed's nerves and he had little patience for the Colonel's cheap tricks.

"Well," Mustang started dragging out his well.

"Well what?" Ed demanded.

"Well, me and the other officers have a bet going on," Mustang said.

"And I care why?"

"Because you're the main focus of the bet Full Metal," Mustang told him.

Ed's remaining hand gave a slight twitch. Would he just get on with it? Ed had better things to do then to be tormented by his superior officer while cleaning up a messy room. He could be in the library looking for clues or asking around to see if anyone had heard about the stone. He could be resting after his battle or, better yet, he could on a train to Winry's to get his automail repaired. But no Ed was stuck here, in Eastern Headquarters with one of his least favorite people in the world having, what seemed to be, a pointless conversation.

"You see we have a little disagreement going on," Mustang began.

Ed said nothing but his glare explained it all.

"We couldn't figure what kind of girl you were into," Mustang finally said.

Ed's brain faltered. They were having a bet over what kind of girl he liked….DIDN'T THESE PEOPLE HAVE ANYTHIG BETTER TO DO? These were the people that the citizens were supposed to rely on. They were the guys who defended the country and kept it in order. They were supposed to be bright brave men who civilians could look up to. Not a bunch of bored men with weird personalities who spent the time they were supposed to be working, betting on whether he had a girlfriend or not.

Ed's eyebrow twitched. This was irritating and irrational. Shouldn't they be doing something else instead of betting on him and eavesdropping? Shouldn't they be tracking Scar, arresting creeps like Tucker, or doing important paperwork? Not what they were doing.

"Type?" Ed finally managed to ask.

He said it as if uttering the word would make the situation real.

"Yes type as in type of girl Full Metal," Mustang said exasperated.

Then Mustang grinned.

"That is unless you aren't into girls," he said slyly.

Edward's jaw practically hit the floor. Once the shock was over he was angry.

Amy and Al were distracted by the sound of screaming. Al sighed knowing who was screaming, it was his brother. Al's angry brother by the sound of it. Sighing again Al wished for the hundredth time that week, that his brother didn't have such a short temper. While Al pretended not to know the golden hair boy on the other side of the room, Amy was intrigued. She looked up to see a red-faced Ed who was pointing an accusing finger at the Colonel. He had the broom in the same hand he was pointing with and Amy briefly wondered why a guy with one hand was sweeping. That is, she was wondering it until something came flying through the air and hit her in the forehead. The force knocked her backwards and Amy was out cold before she realized what was going on.

Thwump.

Ed looked up from his argument with the Colonel. What made that sound?

"AMY!" he heard Al call out.

Edward looked over to where Al was. He was still sitting on the ground but he looked fearfully at the person next to him. Amy lay on her back next to Al. There was a broom lying on top of her and a large red bump on her forehead. Did the girl just knock herself out with a broom? But Ed had the only broom. Ed looked at his empty hand.

"Shit," he muttered.

* * *

(You see Tigger with a couple of bruises but nothing else)

Tigger: Hey everyone! Guess what we finally got past 50 reviews! YEAH! So as a thank you gift I got you all a little present.

Al: You got them all presents?

Amy: Virtual ones. Tigger is kind of cheap that way.

Tigger: Going to pretend I didn't hear that. (pulls a box out of nowhere) May I present the WHACK-AN-ED!

Amy: Whack-an-Ed?

Tigger: It's just like whack-a-mole except you hit Ed instead. It's fun because Ed makes a face when you hit him.

Al: But Tigger there is only one Ed, how do you plan to give everyone a whack-an-Ed?

Tigger: They can come here and play it anytime. My reviewers get free play. However, (Tigger turns around) YOU GUYS HAVE TO PAY!

Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Envy, Izumi, and Mustang: AW MAN!

Tigger: Let's get started. (opens box and inside there's a whack-a-mole machine with Ed's had sticking out of on of the holes)

Ed: (sleepily) What's going on? (sees Tigger with raised hammer) OH SH!T!

(The rest of this has been edited due to some graphic nature. Oh and Shadowess 88 gets cookies for being my 50th review)


	14. In Which We Scare the Hell Out of Nurses

Tigger: I apologize that this chapter is out later then I orginally intended. I was going to post it last weekend, but a wrnech was thrown in those plans.

Winry: Did someone say wrench?

Amy: She meant the figure of speech.

Winry: Oh, well mine is missing and if I don't find it soon I'll have to make Ed buy me a new one.

(Amy and Tigger sweatdrop)

Tigger: If you say so Winry.

Amy: Anyway thanks to **Shadowess 88, The-Living-Shadow, Draconian Master, Fuurai, anime.storm, Wandering Hitokiri, xWeaselxWolfx, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Miorochi, and Mei Fire**for reviewing/favoriting.

Envy: And Tigger does not own Full Metal Alchemist, the pipsqueak, me, or any of the other pests in this show. All she owns is Amy and Amy's people.

Tigger: NOT YOU TOO! DIE ENVY DIE!

Ed: WHO THE HELL IS CALLING ME TINY?!

Winry: SHUT UP ED! (throws wrench)

Amy: That was a nice throw. Anyway chapter begins now.

* * *

The other soldiers looked up when they heard Al screaming. They all looked a bit startled from hearing Al scream in their office while they were cleaning but they got over the shock quickly. They immediately assessed the situation and went over to Amy. They kneeled around her in a semi circle. Riza kneeled next to Amy and felt her pulse and her forehead.

"Did she just get knocked in the head with a broom?" Havoc asked dumbfounded while staring at the unconscious girl and the broom lying on top of her.

"It appears so," Breada replied.

"But she didn't have a broom," Fuery objected.

"The only person in this room who had a broom was Ed," Havoc noted.

Breda, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Mustang, Al and Armstrong all looked over at Ed. Ed gulped at the stares of his colleges. He didn't say anything as the men continued to stare him down.

"It slipped!" Ed objected as if it was not his fault that the broom flew out of his hands while he was waving it around and yelling at Mustang.

"You have hurt an innocent young lady," Armstrong said, "YOU MUST FACE THE CONSEQUENCES AT ONCE!"

Armstrong glared down at Ed, looking quite threatening with his dark demeanor and huge muscles. The other men glared at Edward as well.

"There's no need Major," Riza stated calmly, "Edward said it before it was an accident and Amy will be fine. She's just out cold and if we put some ice on her head the swelling will go down."

"That's a relief. So who wants to go get the ice?" a cheery voice asked.

Everyone turned around to see Colonel Hughes standing behind them and leaning into the circle to see what was going on. The people closest to him, Ed and Havoc, went as white as a sheet and backed away from the man.

"How..what," Ed stuttered confused.

"Mr. Hughes, when did you wake up?" Al asked.

"When Ed was screaming," Hughes answered, "I saw the whole thing. Now who's going to go get that ice?"

No one said anything for a second, still in shock at Hughes's sudden recovery and then decided to focus on more pressing matters. Hughes was a mystery to them. They looked at each other and then at Amy.

"I call not getting the ice," Havoc said after a moment's pause.

"I'm with him," Breda, Fuery, and Falman said.

"I can't walk," Al pointed out.

"I haven't showed you my newest pictures yet," Hughes said.

"I have to make sure the office gets cleaned," Mustang lied.

"I'LL DO IT!" Armstrong proclaimed, "ANYTHING FOR MS. KISHI!"

He said this while striking a pose. Little sparkles emerged and the others backed away. Armstrong didn't notice as he continued to pose and flex his muscles, which could now be seen quite clearly due to the fact that he had once again ripped off his shirt.

"Go right ahead Major," Mustang said eager to get the emotional man away.

"Don't hurry back," Ed muttered under his breath.

"I SHALL GO WITH THE UPMOST URGENCY!" Armstrong bellowed and ran out of the room shirtless.

The others stared after him and a few felt bad for those who encountered him in the hallways. The rest were just glad Armstrong wasn't bothering them.

"So," Havoc said after some silence, "What now?"

The others glanced around and then back at the unconscious body. What do they do now? They couldn't just leave Amy on the floor. It was morally wrong and they had to clean that area. A few of the men glanced at each other hoping the other would come up with an idea.

"Let's just put her to the side and have Al watch over her," Breda suggested, "That way we can clean up this place and not have to worry about her."

The other soldiers mulled over this idea.

"That Major said he was coming back with ice," Fuery added, "So we won't have to worry about her not getting treatment."

"All right then," Mustang said taking charge, "Havoc and Heymans, you two move Ms. Kishi to the front of the room. Hughes and Fuery, go put Al next to her. The rest of you clean up."

The men and Riza nodded and began to do what he said. Havoc grabbed Amy's arms and Breda grabbed her legs. Together they lifted her off the floor and put her near the Colonel's desk towards the front of the room. Hughes and Fuery grabbed opposite ends of Al's box and lifted it up. Mustang watched his fellow soldiers work on cleaning up the mess. How could one girl cause so many problems?

"Sir, I believe you should be in charge of sweeping," Riza said while shoving a broom into Mustang's arms.

Mustang gave her a blank look and was about to object before Riza cut him off.

"I don't think it is the best idea to have Full Metal use the broom after what just happened," she explained.

All of Mustang's objections died before they left his tongue. However, Mustang did give a huge smirk as he looked at Edward.

"Guess your right," Mustang sighed dramatically, "A broom is such a big job. Only grown ups can handle it."

Mustang grinned when he saw Ed freeze up. Ed had definitely knew what Mustang was implying. Stiffly, Ed turned to his superior officer with a look of pure hatred on his face.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE IS CONFUSED FOR A FIVE YEAR OLD!" Ed yelled at him angrily.

Mustang snickered and was about to retort, but he was cut off by a glare from Riza.

"I think we have wasted enough time," she said while fingering her gun and shooting glares at the bickering men.

Ed and Mustang glared at each other before they went back to work.

Amy's head hurt. There was a dull throbbing at the front of her skull and she had a major headache. Her body felt stiff, like she had fallen asleep on the floor, and there were some murmured voices in the background. At first Amy couldn't figure out what was going on.

"_Right, I'm in the Full Metal Alchemist world,"_ she remembered, "_And I encountered Scar and now I'm with the military officers."_

But that still didn't explain why her head hurt so much or why she was asleep.

"_Did I fall asleep talking to Al or something?"_ Amy wondered.

Deciding it was time to get some answers Amy lifted her hand up to her face. She rubbed her eyes and she heard the voices around her got louder. Pulling the last of her thoughts from her sleepy mind, Amy woke up. She opened her eyes, sat up, and looked around. Immediately she regretted the action as the sudden light temporarily blinded her. She rubbed her eyes a couple of times and blinked slowly letting her eyes adjust to the light.

Amy was in the same room as before but now everything was much cleaner. Breda, Falman, Fuery, Havoc, and Ed were finishing straightening a few things. Riza was supervising the Colonel, who was wiping ink stains off the floor, while Hughes bombarded him with pictures. The look on Mustang's face made Amy pretty sure that if Mustang had his gloves then he would incinerate Hughes on the spot.

"Amy you're awake," a joyful voice said.

Amy jerked her head to the side and her head stung in protest.

"Al?" she asked gripping the sides of her head while the room spun a bit.

"I'm so glad. You were out for quite a while," Al said.

"What happened?" Amy groaned and placed a hand to her forehead.

A sting of pain went through her head and Amy realized there was a giant bump on her forehead.

"You were knocked out by a broom," Al explained.

"I was knocked out by a what?" Amy asked confused.

"A broom. Brother was yelling at the Colonel and the broom slipped out of his hand in hit you in the forehead."

"That would explain a lot," Amy said while imaging the situation.

"Yes the Major went to go get you ice," Al began, "But he never came back. I wondered what happened to him?"

Amy shrugged. She really didn't care, but some ice would be nice right now. Her head really hurt and she felt spacey. It was hard to describe but it was almost like she was daydreaming or vaguely paying attention, although all her attention was focused on Al. Amy had done a lot of stupid things in her life time, including eating a bunch of cookies right after they came out of the oven and then jumping on the trampoline for a hour; but she had never knocked herself out with a broom before. She wondered briefly if she was supposed to feel this way. Her mind felt disconnected and her eyes weren't really focusing on anything.

Suddenly Amy became aware of someone talking to her. She blinked her eyes a few times and looked at Al. He must have been the one speaking to her, but his voice sounded like buzzing in her ears. Amy blinked a few times and tried to focus on listening.

"Amy…Amy," Al's voice sounded like it was coming out of a radio that was searching for a station.

One second she could hear his voice perfectly and the next second there would be some buzzing and then she would hear his voice in a different tune. It took a minute but the radio inside Amy's head finally stopped on a station and Amy could hear Al clearly.

"Amy, are you okay?" Al was asking her, "Amy?"

"I feel dizzy," Amy admitted, "My head feels like it's going to split in two."

"Ms. Hawkeye said you would probably have some head injuries," Al told her, "She says it will clear up soon enough."

Amy nodded, the buzzing was coming back and it played like background music in her ears.

"_Now what?" _Amy thought.

Armstrong hadn't come back with the ice and Amy's head hurt like hell. Her symptoms didn't seem to be clearing up, but maybe it was too soon. Not to mention, Mustang had yet to give her a place to stay the night and the room was a still a mess. That last part was really her fault though. But what should Amy do now? The others had banned her from cleaning and she had nothing else to do. She may have started another conversation with Al, but noise made her head hurt even more. Maybe she could take a nap. A nap sounded nice and when Amy woke up it was possible her headache would be gone.

Usually Amy didn't sleep in public though. She didn't like the idea of being vulnerable and she liked to sleep in places with beds. Besides wouldn't it be rude to fall asleep in front of the others, especially why they were working to clean up her mess? To sleep or not to sleep, that was the question.

Amy's debate was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open. Amy winced at the sound but she, and everyone else in the room, looked at the door. Armstrong burst in and did a dramatic pose.

"DO NOT WORRY!" he shouted, Amy covered her ears at the noise, "I HAVE BROUGHT AMY SOME HELP!"

Then Armstrong stepped aside and behind were he had been, was a nurse. The nurse was a young female with black hair in a braid and big blue glasses. She wore the standard white uniform and looked scared. Her outfit looked ruffled, like someone had dragged her down the hall, (which was probably the case) and her eyes darted nervously around the room. She shied from the attention she was getting and hid her face behind a first aid kit that she was holding.

"I HAVE BROUGHT AMY MEDICAL HELP!" Armstrong shouted, announcing the obvious.

Everyone in the room stared at Armstrong. They sent him to get a pack of ice and he comes back with a nurse. Not to mention it looked like he had kidnapped the nurse and that said nurse was probably going to pass out from shock. No one moved as Armstrong struck another dramatic pose and sparkles surrounded him. Riza was the first to recover and took control of the situation. She stepped forward and cleared her throat a little.

"Thank you for your help Major," she said to him.

"It was no problem," Armstrong boasted, "I will do anything to help a lady in distress."

At this point Amy was trying as hard as she could to block out Armstrong's voice. Every time he spoke it was like someone was stabbing her head. More then anything Amy wished that he would shut up and go away. However Amy caught that last sentence and she would have rebelled loudly if her head hadn't given another painful throb.

"_I am not a damsel in distress,"_ Amy thought through the pain, "_I do not need his help. He's only making it worse."_

One thing Amy hated was being underestimated. She didn't like people putting her down or thinking she was beneath them. It was why she hated sexist people so much. Who cares that she was a girl? Her intelligence was just as good as any guy her age and probably better in some cases. Amy wasn't the most active person but she could run faster then most of the other girls and she had an excellent arm. She didn't need their help with a headache. The headache would pass eventually anyway. Amy Kishi was many things, but she was not a damsel in distress.

"Your effort is most appreciated," Riza told Armstrong before turning to the nurse.

"Would you mind looking at someone for us?" Riza asked her, "She got hit in the head and was out for a bit."

The nurse seemed shocked that Riza was talking to her and jumped a little bit at first. Once she recovered from shock, she nodded her head up and down quickly and hurried over to where Amy was. She stumbled a little bit before reaching Amy and then kneeled down on the ground in front of her. Al was pretending to be lifeless at the moment so as not to scare the nurse, but the nurse still looked frightfully at the giant suit of armor with spikes all over it.

"Can you please put your hands down and take off your hat?" the nurse asked timidly, afraid Amy would say no.

Amy complied. She lifted the hat off her head and was at once alerted to her hat hair. Quickly Amy tried to smooth it down and then placed her hands in her lap. Her head was still throbbing but she tried not to pay attention to it.

The nurse examined the bump on her head and brushed Amy's bangs to the side. She looked at both of Amy's eyes too.

"Do any of your limbs feel weak?" she asked.

Amy looked at her arms and legs. They felt fine to her. Only her head was bothering her.

"No," she answered.

"Do you remember what happened?" she asked again.

Amy recalled talking to Al and then looking at Ed because he had been screaming. She even remembered something flying towards her.

"Yeah," Amy replied.

"Any amnesia at all?" the nurse asked.

"I don't think so," Amy answered.

She didn't think she had amnesia. Amy could remember her family and her friends. She even knew what date it had been when she left, June 25, 2008.

"What about double vision or nausea?"

"No, I don't have any of those."

"Do you feel a bit disoriented or hear ringing in your ears?"

"I'm dizzy and it's more like a buzzing."

The nurse paled slightly and opened her first aid kit. She took out a booklet and flipped it open.

"What about a headache?" she asked.

"A really big one," Amy told her.

The nurse grew paler and began to flip through the book.

Was something wrong? Did Amy permanently damage her brain or something? It didn't feel like it though. Her head felt fine besides the painful headache and buzzing in her ears.

"What's wrong?" Riza asked.

The poor nurse almost jumped out of her skin.

"It's possible she might have a concussion," the nurse stammered, "But I can't be sure at the moment."

"OH YOUR POOR GIRL!" Armstrong yelled and leapt forward.

The nurse jumped and backed away.

"TO HAVE A CONCUSSION HOW HORRIBLE!" Armstrong cried, "YOU MUST BE IN SUCH PAIN!"

"Sir," the nurse said shyly, "Sir, you mustn't speak so loud to her."

Armstrong looked at the nurse who shrunk back.

"I mean it might hurt her being so loud and," the nurse tried to finish but seemed to lose her steam and decided instead to look at the floor.

Armstrong blinked a couple of times as he processed the information.

"YOU ARE RIGHT," Armstrong bellowed, "I SHALL BE QUIET FOR THE GIRL!"

Ed, Hughes, Falman, Breda, Fuery, and Havoc all looked at the man deadpanned. The same thought echoing through their minds "_Did he just shout he was going to be quiet?"_

Mustang however was pretending not to notice the behavior of his fellow coworker and instead went over to the nurse. He stopped in front of her and bent over.

"Do you need help miss?" he asked her in a charming voice while offering her hand.

The nurse turned a bright shade of red and let Mustang pull her off the floor.

"I apologize for the behavior of my coworkers," Mustang continued in a suave voice, "They are just worried about our friend."

"No, no it's quite alright," the nurse stammered out.

The others looked disgusted at Mustang's blunt flirting while Havoc had tears coming out of his eyes.

"First he takes my girl and now he flirts with another one?" Amy heard him ask.

Amy however just wished the nurse would give her some medicine so that she could move on with her life. If it wasn't bad enough with her being injured, she also had to watch Mustang flirt with the nurse who was diagnosing her. Amy just wanted to move on. There was no Philosopher's stone in Mustang's office, nor was there a portal leading back home behind one of the desks. Sighing Amy rubbed her temples. The headache was going down and the buzzing in her ears was fading. If this kept up Amy would be cured before she was diagnosed.

Riza was the first one to act on the situation.

"Sir, need I remind you that you have paperwork to do and that Amy still needs treatment and a place to stay," she told him in a calm but deadly tone.

Mustang's face became pale and he let go of the nurse's hand.

"Right well I'll leave you to treating my friend while I go do some paperwork," Mustang said and then speed walked to his desk.

The nurse blinked twice, her hands in the position Mustang had left them, and then seemed to regain herself.

"Uhmm…Anyway," she began, "She shows some symptoms of a concussion but not all of them. So it's probably best just to keep an eye on her and bring her to a hospital if anything gets worse."

Riza nodded confirming that she heard that. The nurse looked around the room uncomfortably.

"Well, I'll be going then," she said unsurely and bent over to pick up her bag.

Once it was in her hands she began to walk towards the door. She opened it and then looked back at the room. Quietly she shut the door and then a pair of footsteps could be heard running down the hall at top speed.

Everyone in the room stared at the door.

"Did she just run away?" Havoc asked to no one in particular.

"Looks like it," Breda replied.

Amy stared at the door for ten more seconds before she realized something.

"She never gave me anything to treat my injury," she said outloud.

Everyone looked at Amy and then realization dawned on their faces.

"Well that was a waste of ten minutes," Ed pointed out.

"Don't worry Amy, I'm sure you'll feel better soon," Al tried comforting Amy.

"How about I give you the Armstrong family medication," Armstrong offered, "It's been in my family for generations!"

"I could go get you some ice," Fuery said chipping in his two cents.

Or was that sens? Weren't sens equal to yens? So what was the coin currency here? Half-sens?

"_Okay you know what it doesn't matter?" _Amy decided mentally.

"I read somewhere that headaches go away if you massage your temples," Falman informed her.

"I'VE GOT IT!" Mustang shouted, cutting off all the noise in the room.

"You've got what sir? Another date?" Breda asked him.

"No, my schedule is full for tonight anyway," Mustang answered, "But I have a solution to our little dilemma."

"And what would that be Colonel?" Falman asked.

Mustang grinned evilly and Amy suddenly began to feel fear creeping up her spine.

"Since none of us can take her, why doesn't she stay in jail for the night?" Mustang smirked.

* * *

Amy: I hate you, Mustang.

Tigger: If it makes you feel better there is now a Whack-a-Mustang and Whack-an-Envy.

Winry: There is even a special edition Whack-an-Ed in which you use a wrench instead of a hammer.

Amy: I think I'm going to go pay that Whack-a-Mustang now.

Mustang, Ed, and Envy: DAMN YOU TIGGER!

Tigger: RIGHT BACK AT YOU! Okay folks tune in next time.


	15. We're Off to See a Jail!

Tigger: AND WE'RE BACK! So a lot of you guys were tempted to kill Mustang at the end of the last chapter...for that I give you two thumbs up!

Ed: Anyone who makes more people realize that Mustang is a morally bankrupt offical with a God complex is fine with me.

Tigger: Really Ed? You mean you actually don't mind that I'm writing a fanfic with you in it?

Ed: Nah. I mean we all know that you don't own FMA or any of its characters, and that you only own Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and any OCs that appear.

Tigger: I don't know whether I should be happy that you approve or kick your butt cause you just did the disclaimer.

Amy: Have any of you seen Mustang?

Tigger: No.

Amy: Well if you do let me know.

Ed: Why?

Amy: I'm going to kick his butt all the way to the way to 2008 where I'll deal with him twenty-first century style.

Ed: Let me help.

(Mustang suddenly appears 15 meters away)

Amy: CHARGE!

(Amy, Ed, anime.storm, Shadowess 88, Mei Fire (), Wandering Hitokiri, HeeHeeHee01, Stteph., and Psychotic Pyro Fairy all chase after Mustang who runs away.)

Al: Brother! Amy! Reviewers! Come back!

Tigger: Chill Al, they're going to get a chance to beat Mustang up. But first off we've got to trap him.

Al: We?

Tigger: Yep! Come on, everyone time to catch us a Mustang. (Motions for XhOuSeXoFxWoLvEsX, lilypop8, Miorochi, Seadrance, Fuurai, xWeaselxWolfx, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, and The WeyrWoman to follow her.)

Al: Wait, Tigger that's not what I meant! If you leave who is going to introduce the chapter?

* * *

And that was how Amy ended up walking down the stairs to Eastern Headquarters jail approximately twenty minutes later. She held an ice pack to her head and Havoc was leading her there. He had led her through corridor after corridor and Amy had followed him blindly. If Havoc were to abandon her then Amy would most likely never find her way back.

The really had been no argument once Mustang suggested his plan. Amy would stay in jail for the night which would give the others enough time to fill out a citizen file and think up a background for her. It would also give Amy someplace to stay and it wouldn't cost her anything. They would also provide her with food and necessities.

"Think of it like a hotel," they had tried to reason with her.

By they Amy meant Mustang, Haovc, Breda, Falman, and Hughes. Breda, Falman, and Havoc had been threatened into agreeing with Mustang. (They helped or he made them do his paperwork.)

"_A hotel full of murders, thieves, and other criminals,"_ Amy thought bitterly, "_I swear I'll get Mustang for this if it's the last thing I do."_

The air got damper as Havoc lead Amy down more stairs. Apparently there was a passage to the jail from the Headquarter's basement. It was supposed to be used in case of emergencies so that military officials could rush to the scene, but Amy could see some major flaws in that. Not that it mattered though because she had to go jail anyway.

Amy recalled the dread she felt when Mustang first revealed his 'brilliant plan'. There was no way that she wanted to be trapped in a cell with criminals. They would probably beat her up or the guards would be evil and torture her. Not to mention she would be separated from the few people she knew in this world and once again would be stuck with all new people. If she was that shy in front of normal people Amy didn't want to think about how she would be around criminals.

Al had tried to comfort her, Amy briefly remembered, but she had been in too much shock to realize it. Armstrong said it would help her build character and Hughes had given Amy all of his wrinkled pictures so she could use them as comfort (apparently he had extras). Ed had laughed at her (Amy would get him right after she got through with Mustang) and Fuery was just as scared as she was. Riza told Amy she would be fine and that they would get her first thing in the morning. Mustang had just smirked. If Amy hadn't been so shocked she probably would have yelled at him but all her words seemed to have died before they reached her mouth.

"_Not fair, not fair, not fair," _Amy kept chanting to herself.

Why couldn't she lead a normal fanfic? Why couldn't she be talented and able to fight? Why couldn't she meet the characters when they weren't being killed? Would it have been so hard for the irony gods to lay off her for once? Why couldn't she have landed next to Winry's house? Then she could have stayed with Winry. But no, Amy had to land in the middle of a lake in some place she had never heard of, and the person who had found her just had to have multiple personalities and be slightly insane. Plus after almost being killed it just happened that no one had room for her.

If Amy had been in a nice fanfic or one remotely close to it, someone would have been able to give her a place to sleep for the night. She could have stayed with Riza or with Ed and Al. Actually Amy took that last one back. Staying in the same place as Ed and Al may have seemed cool in theory but it would be the same as staying with two teenage boys. Granted one was a suit of armor, but it would still feel weird to Amy. Not to mention both boys only knew Amy as a stranger which would have made it more awkward. Especially if that "only two beds thing" occurred like it did in most fanfics. Hasn't anyone ever heard of sleeping on the couch? Or the floor? She was pretty sure that a hotel would get them extra blankets.

"We're almost there," Havoc informed Amy.

Amy snapped out of her thoughts. They were almost at the bottom of the spiral stone staircase she and Havoc had gone down. The entire basement was made up of stone bricks and it reminded Amy of a medieval dungeon. Luckily there were some lamps hanging from the ceiling so they didn't have to resort to using a flashlight or torch. At the bottom of the stairs there was a long stone hallway with a big wooden door at the end. In front of the door, stood two guards dressed in the standard blue military uniforms. They were slumped against the door and looked bored. Once they spotted Havoc and Amy coming towards them, the guards straightened up and did their best to look attentive.

Amy followed Havoc as he lead the way, not that Amy really needed it anymore. The guards could see people coming the minute they stepped off the staircase. This just made the long walk seem more awkward because the guards were starring the entire time they approached. As if the walk hadn't been bad enough. Havoc wasn't great company right now, due to his girlfriend incident. In fact Havoc's girlfriend had called right before Armstrong (who had enthusiastically volunteered to lead Amy to jail) was about to leave with Amy.

Havoc's girlfriend had called to flirt with Mustang and said she might be a bit late because she had to break up with her boyfriend. Mustang mentioned Havoc was right there and then handed the phone to Havoc. One minute later and Havoc was a blubbering mass in the corner of the room and Mustang was flirting away on the phone. Riza had made Mustang hang up the phone and Havoc was chosen to escort Amy instead of Armstrong. Amy guessed this was because no one wanted to have to comfort Havoc more then once in a day. Weren't his coworkers so supportive? A crying Havoc had led Amy to the nurse where he asked the nurse if she had a cure for heartbreak while Amy got her icepack. Armstrong never did bring her one and the other nurse had disappeared before giving Amy medication. Then Havoc had led Amy through Headquarters while complaining about his bad luck and how Mustang always stole his girls. Finally, after Havoc had led her in a circle three times, Amy told Havoc to get a hold of himself and lead her to the jail already. At that point Amy really didn't care whether it was a jail or a sewer she was going to, as long as Havoc wasn't there whining to her she would be fine.

Havoc had sniffled a couple of times, muttered something about uncaring people and no one understanding, and finally led Amy to the passageway that would go to the jail. Amy had been glad about that. There was only so much emotion she could go through in one day and, unfortunately for Havoc, she had no sympathy to spare. He lost a girlfriend, Amy lost an entire life. Havoc's relationship wasn't even that serious and he could always get another girlfriend. It wasn't like Amy could make her family, friends, and previous life just appear. If anything, she should have been the one complaining.

Sighing Amy cast the hallway another glance. There was no carpeting on the floor and no pictures on the wall. The only thing in the hallway, besides the door and guards, was a line of lamps hanging from the ceiling. They were rather poor lamps and the lighting was rather bad. The lamps cast a weak glow in a small circle around them and on the floor below them. Combined the weak glows set off enough light so that walls and floor could be seen but not well. There were some brighter lamps closer to the guards and that was the only reason Amy could see the elegant carving on the big wooden door.

The door had to be about four or five regular doors across and about two doors high. It was a rather extravagant door for one that was always underground. The military symbol was carved into the door with the words "Justice for Peace" carved above it. It was a strange saying for a country that was constantly at war. The door also had giant metal hinges and bolts to hold it in place. There were two metal hooks on either side of the doorframe. It looked like one could place a wooden board across the door and rest them in the hooks so the door would be barricaded. Not that it seemed needed though. The door also had three normal sized keyholes which seemed very small compared to the rest of the giant door.

"Lieutenant Havoc," both of the guards saluted once Amy and Havoc were about ten feet away.

"At ease," Havoc told them, putting his lady problems aside for a second.

Amy looked at Havoc quizzically. Havoc didn't seem like the type to pull rank or order another solider around. In fact, if Amy hadn't known better and he wasn't wearing a uniform, Amy wouldn't have guessed Havoc to be a solider. He was laid backed and a hard worker. Havoc seemed more likely to be a construction worker or something like that. The kind of person to work hard all day and then come home and relax by drinking with a couple of his buds while laughing. The strict world of the military didn't seem right for Havoc in some ways, but at the same time it seemed to fit.

Amy felt a chill go up her spine at her last thought. She wasn't the type of person who looked like they belonged in the military either. Yet in about two weeks, it was very possible she might be. Amy banished those thoughts from her mind. Worry about passing the test first. No wait scratch that. She should worry about surviving the night first, then passing.

"What are you doing down here?" one of the guards questioned.

"I'm escorting the little girl here to jail," Havoc answered.

"Her?" the other guard asked pointing to Amy, "This little girl?"

"_Do you see any other girls here?" _Amy thought sarcastically.

Of course she didn't say anything outloud. There was no reason to take her temper out on other people. Not to mention the gun on the side of soldier's belt was nothing to tempt. Though Amy wondered if the man could really use it.

"Yeah, this one," Havoc replied.

"But she doesn't look like she could do anything harmful," the first guard objected, "What'd she do?"

"She didn't do anything. She was just at the Scar scene so we're just keeping her here until we can clear up some things and ask some questions," Havoc told the guards the cover story Mustang had thought of.

Amy admitted the story was pretty good and made sense. Mustang deserved some credit for that one. Not that Amy would ever say that to him because it was his fault she was down here.

"That makes sense," the second guard stated (or as Amy had mentally dubbed him 'Mr. State-the-Obvious'), "What will our military have come to when we start arresting little girls?"

He laughed at his own question and the other guard joined him.

"_I wish they would stop calling me little,"_ Amy thought bitterly, "_If only Riza hadn't taken my hammer."_

It was true, Riza had confiscated Amy's backpack. She said that Amy would get everything she needed as jail and that she didn't need her backpack. Also, Riza had added, they would have confiscated her backpack anyway and it was easier for Riza to keep it then to explain why Amy had a hammer in her bag. Amy had to admit that Riza was right but she would have really like her hammer at the moment.

"Sir how old are you?" Amy asked, interrupting the guards' laughter.

The guards looked at each other before Mr. State-the-Obvious answered.

"Nineteen," he said unsurely.

"You do realize that you are only four years older then me, right?" Amy asked them in a cool voice.

The guard started gaping and pointing a finger. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times but no words came out. It was obvious the man hadn't been expecting that?

Amy wondered if she really did look that young or whether it was just the clothes. At home no one ever questioned her age. Sure when she 13 and 14 she could get away with being 12 so she wouldn't have to pay full price for movie tickets, but no one had confused her since her 15th birthday. It was then when it became obvious to most that she was a teenager. What could make Amy look so young? Maybe it was the lightening? There had been bad lightening here and in the alley so maybe that was the reason. In the dark one wouldn't be able to see the sharper angles of her face which symbolized her face was full grown.

"_Not full grown,"_ Amy contradicted herself, "_I can still grow. I WILL BE 5'7in."_

That was a lie. Like most teenage girls, Amy stopped growing height-wise a short while ago. Although Amy would never admit that the most likely she would grow is another couple of centimeters. Amy liked being tall. She liked standing over people, a superiority complex one could say. Back at home Amy was taller then most of her girl friends and female adults. Here everyone seemed to be her height or taller.

"_Why are they all so tall?"_ Amy whined to herself.

"You..you.." Amy was brought back from her own world by the guard stuttering.

"Me," Amy said pointing to herself.

For some reason Amy felt strangely confident. Probably because the guard had somewhat insulted her. She may be shy sometimes but Amy stood up for herself. There was no way in the seven hells she was going to let some stupid guy make fun of her. Especially a guard who, at the moment, couldn't seem to form a whole sentence.

Havoc looked back and forth between the teen girl and the guard. Although this was amusing to some level he wanted to get back to the office. One reason being so he could yell at Mustang for stealing his girlfriend. He loved her so much and she was dating the Colonel? Come on, what could she see in a guy like him? Sure he was handsome but he was a slacker and always pushing his work onto other people. Havoc thought he was a much better match. He was always so kind and gentle to girls, especially ones with big chests. Hadn't she been saying what a sweetheart he was when they saw each other two days ago? Did she even mean it? Or did she just like the fact he was willing to do anything for her? Probably the second one.

"_Why are the big chested ones, always the one to break my heart?"_ Havoc wondered.

He began wallowing in self-pity. Come on, a guy could only take so much. First he has a run in with Scar. That thought still gave him shivers. Then he finds out the boy at the scene was actually a 15 year old girl. Not to mention she was completely accident prone and managed to injure him twice. She also tells them that she was from another dimension. On top of all that his girlfriend dumps him for the Colonel and now he has to escort the accident prone, dimension traveling girl to prison. Havoc did not like going to the jail. Actually there were a few prisoners who he often struck up conversation with while on guard duty down here. It was the guards he disliked. Most of them were either too strict or just plain annoying. Havoc rarely had guard duty, usually when a bunch of people were sick and the Colonel volunteered him for the job. But for some reason the full time guards seemed to think they know everything and try to boss him around. A couple of times, Havoc was forced to pull rank on them.

Yet he preferred the strict guards to people over people like Josh, the guard Amy was talking to. Josh was just like every other average soldier. He went to military school with everyone else, passed with okay grades, and then was stuck in some position that he didn't like. However, Josh got promoted to Sergeant and immediately he thought he was the best soldier to ever walk the planet. He actually only got promoted because someone ahead of him got promoted and they just pulled a few people up in ranks to even it out. Yet Josh still thinks he is the best because he was only 18 when he got promoted.

"HOW COULD YOU BE 15?" Josh finally managed to spit out.

"_About time,"_ Havoc thought dully.

"I was born 15 years ago, hence I am 15," Amy responded coolly.

Was this really the same girl who no less then forty minutes ago was knocked out with a broom? She seemed different now. Havoc smirked, he could learn to like this girl if she kept going like this. Seeing Josh squirm because of a 15 year old girl was quite amusing. Havoc looked at his watch, they really needed to get going.

"Sergeant, I'm afraid I have to take Amy now," Havoc told him, "Keep up the good work."

Josh made no response as the other guard pulled out the keys and unlocked the door. The keys clicked and the door swung open a bit. Havoc saluted and went through with Amy following him.

Amy followed Havoc through the small gap in the doors. No sooner were they inside when the door slammed shut and Amy heard them locking it up again.

* * *

(Mustang peaks around a corner. He looks left and then right. Then he looks left again.)

Mutang: Phew, I finally lost those crazy reviewers. (looks at watch) Just in time for my date too.

(Mustang steps out from around the corner)

Tigger: NOW!

(Tigger's group of reviewers and Tigger drop out of the ceiling on top of a tall metal cage. The cage lands on top of Mustang sucessfully trapping him within.)

Tigger: (whips out a walky talky while standing on top of cage) Team B has caught the target. I repeat Team B has caught the target. You are free to move out.

Mustang: This is a nice cage, Tigger, but you forgot I can melt bars.

(Mustang raises his fingers to snap when..)

Amy: Team A GO!

(Amy, Ed, and the reviewers who went with Amy pop out from behind the corner down the hall. They have a large hose. Water begins to shoot out and thoroughly soaks Mustang before he can snap.)

Tigger: Whoot! Plan The Hunt is successful!

Ed: (at Mustang) I didn't know they kept such useless things at a zoo.

Mustang: Full Metal consider this treason against the military. Amy, Tigger, and the reviewers too!

Amy: We don't live in your country, except for Ed. Tough cookies Ed.

Ed: Hey!

Tigger: So what do we do with Mustang now?

(Everyone looks at each other)

Tigger: I know! I'll let the reviewers decide. That way it will be more fun, and we can torture Mustang by keeping him in suspense.

Amy: Good idea.

Ed: I like that plan.

Tigger: Okay review people so I can torture Mustang! :)


	16. I'm a Girl Damn It!

Tigger: And we're back! Sorry this chapter is late. It's also very short. Seriously I think this is the shortest chapter I have ever written, but it was a great spot to end so I ended it. Hopefully you will all be very nice and forgive me. I'm currently moving, I injured myself, and Breaking Dawn came out so I haven't had a lot of free time. I promise I'll make the next chapter longer.

Mustang: Would you just get on with this chapter so I can get out of here?

Amy: You're in no place to be giving orders.

Ed: Tigger, you have some very evil reviewers.

Tigger: I know. They're great aren't they? They came up with so many evil schemes I couldn't decide on one.

Mustang: Then can you let me out of here?

Tigger: Nope, I chose to do them all! :) Draconian Master will you please take his gloves away so we can begin?

Mustang: Wait you can't do this! You don't even own FMA or any of its characters. All you own is any OCs that no one recognizes from the series!

Amy: I'm going to go get the supplies. So enjoy the chapter while I grab everything.

Mustang: Someone get me out of here!

* * *

"_Guess they're not taking any chances,"_ Amy thought.

Amy looked around observing her surroundings. Havoc had led her into what looked to be an office. The walls were white and the floor was covered by a grey carpet. There were no windows (who would put windows in an underground room?) and there was another door on the other side of the room. This one was normal sized but it looked like it was made of metal and it had no carvings on it. On the right side of the room there were giant metal cabinets stacked against the walls. One of the cabinet's drawers was open and Amy could see tons of files poking out. She gaped at how many files they could fit in one drawer. Amy briefly wondered what all the files were for.

"Hello Scott," Havoc said to someone.

Amy turned around to look at the left side of the room. Havoc was referring to a man who was sitting behind a curved desk which was squished in a corner. The man looked to be in his early thirties. He had curly brown hair that was cut short and had light green eyes. The man was working on some papers and looked up when Havoc called his name. Amy noted how the only piece of furniture on that side of the room, besides the desk and Scott's chair, was a long metal bench that was next to the metal door. There were metal handlebars with handcuffs hanging from them. Amy guessed that's where they put the prisoners.

"_That must mean this is where they come to register the prisoners,"_ Amy concluded.

"Hey Second Lieutenant. Havoc," Scott said.

Scott looked at Amy. Amy looked back at him blankly. What was he staring at?

"He your kid brother or something?" Scott asked Havoc.

Amy blinked a few times before she registered what the man had just said. Slowly she began to fell her rage build up. This was the second time she had been accused of being a boy and the third time being accused of being younger then she was. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! DIDN'T THEY KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOY AND A GIRL?! AND SHE DIDN'T LOOK THAT YOUNG!

"_Breathe, Amy, breathe,"_ she told herself, "_He didn't mean anything by it. He's just being unobservant."_

"Actually this is Amy," Havoc told Scott, "She'll be saying here the night."

Scott blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

"Okay then," Scott said reaching for some more papers.

"_Wow," _Amy thought, "_He recovered quickly."_

"We need to handcuff her to the chair then while I fill out the forms," Scott told Havoc.

"_…"_ Amy's thoughts took a few minutes to process and then, "_HOLD ON! Rewind. Did he say handcuff? Colonel Mustang said nothing about being handcuffed."_

"'I assure you that won't be necessary," Havoc began but was cut off by Scott.

"It's standard procedure," Scott said getting up from his desk.

"Yes, but she's not your standard criminal," Havoc replied.

"I'm not a criminal," Amy objected quickly.

"Wait, not a criminal?" Scott looked confused, "Then why is she here?"

Havoc quickly relayed the cover up story to Scott. At the end of it Scott looked thoughtful.

"Well I guess standard procedure can't be used in this situation," He said, mostly to himself.

Scott looked thoughtful for a few seconds. Then he reached down and opened one of the drawers in his desk. He took out a file and began writing on it. Amy and Havoc stared at him as he wrote. A clock on the wall, which Amy hadn't noticed before, ticked as the minutes crawled by. Amy felt her body becoming stiff and shifted her position. She wished she could sit down, but the only available seat was the bench and Amy was not sitting on that. It had a sense a forbidding coming from it. Plus Amy didn't want to think about who had sat there before and when it was last washed. If she could guess it would have been a while. Finally, Scott finished writing.

"Done," Scott announced.

"_With what?"_ Amy thought but she kept her mouth shut.

She didn't know Scott and she really shouldn't be making enemies with the military. Even though the guard outside the jail door probably hated her. It was a mutual feeling though.

Scott walked over to Havoc and handed him some papers.

"Give this to the guard inside," he instructed, "He'll escort the girl to her cell and tell her the details about this place. Tomorrow morning when you come to get her, Frank will be on duty. Tell him to check file 67x9."

"Okay," Havoc said and slipped the papers into his pocket.

"Good luck," Scott told Amy before going to sit back down at his desk.

"_Luck?"_ Amy thought puzzled, "_Luck with what?"_

"Let's go," Havoc told Amy as he walked over to the metal door.

Amy felt her stomach drop and her fears came rushing back. She was going to jail. She, Amy, was going to jail. Not jail in her town. Not jail in her country. No not even jail in her world. Amy was going to jail in the Full Metal Alchemist world. After she had almost been killed multiple times. After she had an emotional break down and found out she was expected to join the military. Amy was going to jail. With murders like Barry the Chopper. She was going to have to stay in a jail full of people like that for about 16 hours or more.

An image of one hundred Barrys with giant knives came into Amy's mind. Suddenly Amy felt dizzy. The room began to spin. Her knees shook a little. Amy was in FMA, Amy had almost been killed, Amy met Ed and Al. The room felt hot too which only made Amy feel more sick. Ed and Al were real. Amy wasn't dreaming, she had met them. She had an emotional break down. She was going to join the military. Jail. Barry the Chopper in jail. A vision of Barry jumping towards Amy with his knife in the air came into Amy's mind. Her throat felt dry but Amy's stomach felt like it had a horde of elephants in it. Everything was spinning. It was too hot. Ed. Al. Barry. The image f the knife struck her mind again. It became too much. Suddenly it all stopped.

* * *

(Mustang is still in cage. ryuhonootenshi, lilypop8, OddBoat, and Bitja have hoses and are in charge of keeping Mustang wet. For some reason they keep spraying him every couple of seconds though and laugh when he yells at them. FreeCream is standing by with the camera and video taping. FreeCream also keeps throwing random objects at Mustang's head and then pretends she didn't do it when he glares at her.)

Mustang: Would you people stop it? (Is hit with a rubber ducky) WHEN I GET MY GLOVES BACK I'M GOING TO FRY YOU ALL! ( sprayed with hose) DAMN IT!

(Riza walks up.)

Mustang: Hawkeye! I'm saved let me out of here.

Riza: No can do sir. I was employed to be here.

Mustang: Employed? Employed to do what?

Riza: I was told by anime.storm to bring in a list of all your old girlfriends and a voice changer. I was also supposed to bring in my gun.

Mustang: (panicking) What are those for?

Riza: (shrugs) They said they would tell me once everyone was gathered.

Mustang: Who was gathered?

(Shadowess 88, Goldenfightergirl, xWeaselxWolfx, Wandering Hitokiri, Fuurai, HeeHeeHee01, Miorochi, Draconian Master, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, anime.storm, Stteph., Amy, Ed, and Tigger walk in)

Shadowess 88: I have Mustang's gloves and a book of manners.

Goldenfightergirl: I got the dress.

xWeaselxWolfx: I brought the toothpicks. Enough to do his entire body. :)

Wandering Hitokiri: (evil smile) I brought the speedo.

Fuurai: I've got my grandpa and earplugs for the rest of us.

HeeHeeHee01: (is dragging a wagon full of paper) Paperwork really is evil.

Miorochi: I brought Barney.

(Everyone stares)

Miorochi: What?

Draconian Master: I have my skillet of doom.

The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist: My mom agreed to come.

anime.storm: I brought the phone.

Stteph.: Alright, Mustang it's time to pay for what you did.

Mustang: What do you mean pay? What's all that stuff for? ( everyone begins to close in on him and they are all smiling/smirking) Hey! As a member of the military I am ordering you to step away. I mean it! (everyone continues to close in) Riza! Riiza help!

Tigger: ATTACK!

(Everyone leaps at the cage and a giant dust ball forms. Shouts can be heard as Tigger and Amy give orders. After ten minutes they all step away from the cage. Mustang is left standing the cage with a big poofy blue dress on and overdone make-up on his face.)

Mustang: (dizzily) uhhhh... (everyone snickers) Hey! What did you all do to me? (Ed holds up a mirror)

Ed: You never told me you liked to wear dresses Mustang.

Mustang: I'M GOING TO FRY YOU ALL! (is hit with water from a hose)

Amy: No frying anyone. Besides we have your gloves.

Tigger: Now onto phase two. (pulls out a remote and presses the big red button)

(Toothpicks fly from all the bars of the cage and hit Mustang)

Mustang: OW! WHAT THE HELL?

Tigger: Acupuncture.

Amy: anime.storm would yo be kind enough to start phoning Mustang's girlfriends?

anime.storm: Sure (grabs voice changer and phone)

Mustang: What are you doing?

anime.storm: (in Mustang's voice) Hi, is this Cristine? This is Colonel Mustang calling to say that you're ugly and if you want to kill me I'm located in Tigger's room. (hangs up)

Mustang: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Riza: Sir, I must ask you to shut up. You have a long list of girlfriends and I wil get a headache if you scream after every one. anime.storm please continue.

(anime.storm continues to call and dump Mustang's girlfriends)

**Eighty-three hours later**

anime.storm: I FINISHED! (collapses)

Tigger: Onto the next part. Barney you're up.

Barney: Hey, hey hey! I'm Barney the dinosaur and I want to be your best friend.

Mustang: (twitches) Tigger I will get you for this.

Amy: The torture is not over yet.

(After Barney, Mustang gets tortured by Fuurai's grandpa who talks for hours and The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist's mom who lectures him for hours about dating more then one women at a time. Then he is forced to do a wheelbarrow's worth of paperwork. Riza then uses him as targeting practice while teaching him manners.)

Tigger: AND NOW FOR THE GRAND FINALE!

Ed: Wandering Hitokiri will you do the honors?

Wandering Hitokiri: With pleasure. (throws Mustang in cannon) 5...4...3...2...1...BLAST OFF!

(Mustang flies off and while flying his very pretty dress flies off. Thankfully underneath it is a speedo. Mustang lands in the mid-atlantic ocean.)

Tigger: Wait for it...

Mustang: (shivering) Tiggger...I...i..am...going..to...get..you

(Mustang freeezes into a block of ice)

Amy: So what now?

Tigger: Want to go get Envy?

Draconian Master: I have the skillet.

Amy: Sweet. Let's go.

(All the reviewers run off in a random direction to go find Envy while Ed uploads the video onto youtube. Mustang is forgotten and Riza goes home.)


	17. A Book is a Book is a Person?

Tigger: Hiya folk! Look I have a new chappie and it is longer then the other one...but its still kind of short. Heh heh. Sorry about that, but it will make more sense when you read the next chapter as to why I ended this one here. This one has a bit of a bad ending too...

Amy: Moving on. We want to thank everybody who participated in the hunt and all those who reviewed/Pm-ed/ favorited the last chapter.

Tigger: Basically we want to thank **Shadowess 88, anime.storm, The-Living-Shadow, xWeaselxWolfx, HeeHeeHee01, FreeCream, lilypop8, Mei Fire (), Wandering Hitokiri, depositink, Fuurai, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, Stteph., 3Luna21, Twilightstorm1993, and Draconian Master**.

Amy: Everyone seemed to love the Omake from the last chapter.

Tigger: Yeah they did. Now we have to get Envy except he hasn't appeared in a chapter yet. So I was thinking we should wait till he comes, does something evil, and then we can torture him. We can torture Mustang until then.

Amy: Speaking of which, what happened to him?

Tigger: He started carving the disclaimer in his melting ice block so I punished him.

Ed: You mean he started carving that you don't own FMA, its characters, or the plot. But that you do own Amy, Amy's friends, Amy's family, Auntie Senile, and the people who appear in jail.

Amy: Is it me or does the disclaimer keep getting longer?

Tigger: I don't think its you. Besides Mustang only carved the first three words before I caught him.

Ed: What did you do with him anyway?

Tigger: (evil smile) You'll see.

(Everyone else backs away slowly.)

* * *

Amy felt herself waking up. There was something beneath her and something on top. The bottom part was a bit lumpy and the thing on top was light. Was she on a bed? What had happened to her? Amy's thoughts slowly came into play as she fought away the morning amnesia. Her body felt sticky and her stomach had an unpleasant feeling in it.

"_Where am I?"_ she wondered.

Amy heard someone speak and she was aware that she was not alone where-ever she was.

"Has she woken up yet?" a woman whined with an annoyed tone to her voice.

The voice reminded Amy of a teenage girl who was whining about homework or a project.

"No, still unconscious," another woman answered.

The second's woman's voice was lower pitched then the first one but Amy could hear a faint accent in it.

"She certainly came in, in style," a third voice chuckled.

This voice sounded smoother then the other two. Like the speaker had a way with people.

Wait, Amy had never heard these voices before. Where was she? What was going on? Why wasn't she at home in bed? Why were these strangers here? Were they talking about her? Her heart picked up its tempo and Amy felt her breathing stop. In a moment of panic, Amy shot up. Her head slammed into something hard and Amy immediately fell back down. It felt like she had slammed her head into a brick wall. Her head gave a painful throb and Amy let out a small hiss in pain. Her skull ached and for a second Amy thought it would split in two from the pain. The pain began to ebb away slowly and Amy could feel a small bump developing under her bangs.

"_Another one for the list of injuries," _she thought bitterly.

Wait list of injuries? Where had that come from? Everything came rushing back to Amy in that instance. She was in the Full Metal Alchemist world. She had met Ed and Al. Amy had talked with the military. They were going to put her in jail overnight. Havoc led her to jail. She had gotten in a tiff with one the guards. Scott talked to them. Havoc was about to lead her into the jail…and then nothing. No wait, Amy remembered panicking.

"_I guess I fainted,"_ she thought, "_Wait but doesn't that mean.."_

"Hey kid you all right?" The voice with the accent asked.

Her heart practically skipped a beat when she heard someone else speak. For a moment, Amy had forgotten about the other people in the room. She had been too focused on the pain in her head and figuring out where she was. But now that she had all of her memories back, Amy could guess where she was and who was speaking to her. Slowly, Amy opened her eyes, afraid that her assumptions would be right.

She was sitting on a bed. A metal bunk bed to be more precise and what she had banged her head on was the bed above her. The walls were made of grey stone and there was another bunk bed against the opposite wall. Behind her bunk bed was a short stone wall that jutted out about three feet from the wall and was about five feet high. The short wall seemed to serve as a divider and separated Amy from whatever was behind the bed. In front of the bed there was about three feet of space and another wall. This wall was also made of grey stone, but there was a giant metallic door in the center. The door had metal bolts and a small window at the top. The window had bars across it, so one could only see through the window but wouldn't be able to stick their hand through. There were no windows except for the one on the door and the only light came from some lamps on the ceiling. The ceiling itself was pretty high up, one would only be able to reach it if they stood on top of the bunk bed. Everything in the room was also bolted down. The beds, door, and the lamps were all firmly stuck in place. As far as Amy could see, only the sheets that covered her body were moveable.

As these thoughts entered her brain, Amy only became more panicked. She cast a second glance over the room, trying to locate the voices she had heard earlier.

"_Fricking," _Amy's thoughts trailed off as she glanced back at the other bunk bed.

There were three women around the bed. One was sitting on the bottom bunk with a book in her lap. She was big and muscular. Her skin was tan and she had brown eyes and medium length black hair that was pulled back in a pony-tail. A second woman was leaning over the top bunk. She had her arms folded over the edge and was lying on her stomach so Amy could see her legs which stood up in the air, kicking back and forth. The woman had long brown hair with pink stripes in it and bright almond colored eyes. The last woman was leaning against the bed post. Her arms were crossed over her chest and her legs were crossed. Her eyes were red and she had short black hair. She had a don't-mess-with-me-look and seemed to be the one in charge.

All three of the women were staring at Amy. Amy gulped nervously. Her suspicions were right. Amy was in Eastern Headquarters jail with three law breaking criminals and she had to spend a whole night with them. Amy's stomach gave some painful twists and turns as both sides continued to stare at each other. She was so nervous! What could Amy say? She didn't want to offend them. Her stomach twisted in another painful knot and Amy was glad all she had eaten was one cheese-stick.

"_What do I do? What do I do?"_ Amy thought nervously.

Her heart began pounding at a very fast rate and Amy could feel the adrenaline rushing through her injured body. She was scared. Amy was terribly scared. Her fight or flight reaction was in work and it was telling her to run. But run where? She was trapped. Just like an animal in a cage.

"_I'm never going to a zoo again,"_ Amy thought nervously as the stare down continued.

None of the women moved a single inch and neither did Amy. The women because they were watching her and Amy because she was pretty sure her legs wouldn't support her. Amy sat stone still with her heart pounding in her ears.

"_Breathe Amy breathe,"_ she told herself.

But her own body refused to listen. Amy could practically feel her body going into hyperventilation.

"So," the girl with the pink stripes in her hair began.

"AHH!" Amy screamed and jumped, once again hitting her head on the bunk above her.

She lost her balance and tumbled off the bed and landed in a heap on the floor. Her heart was beating a mile per minute and she quickly got up and retreated to a corner near the door. She pressed herself against the wall and watched the women warily. They stared at her with a surprised look on their face before they started laughing.

"Cynth, Cynth," the muscular said between laughs, "Cynthia I think you scared her."

The one with the pink stripes in her hair pouted a little.

"I was just trying to start a conversation," she whined while the other two continued to laugh.

"Hmm," Cynthia said looking at Amy.

Amy froze. She was still being cautious. She didn't know these people or what they were in jail for. For all she knew they could be anything from shoplifters to mass murderers, and Amy was not taking any chances. Cynthia stared at Amy for a few more seconds before she pressed her palms against the railing of the bed and did a handstand. She threw her legs over and landed on the ground on both feet. Then she turned around to face the other two.

"Stop laughing," she told them firmly.

The other two stopped for a minute before they began giggling again.

"Hey, listen to me!" Cynthia whined, "Come on, show me some respect."

The other two ignored her. In fact, they started laughing even more,

"Why should we listen to you?" the muscular one asked.

"Cause I deserve as much respect as you. I mean I'm in jail for the same reason as you," Cynthia pointed out.

To Amy, Cynthia seemed rather childish. She kept using the same excuses as a little kid and she kept whining like one too. But there was no doubt that Cynthia was not a little kid. Amy couldn't see it before, but now that Cynthia was on the ground, Amy could see the kind of body she had. No, Amy wasn't a pervert or looking at Cynthia's body. It was just hard to miss a body worthy of Mary Sue's. Cynthia held a big chest and a skinny body. She was long and lean and her jail clothes seemed to accent her curves.

Speaking of jail clothes, Amy noticed that no one was wearing the traditional black and white stripes that she saw in movies. Cynthia was wearing a pair of blue short shorts and a lime green tee-shirt. The big tan woman was wearing a pair of long grey sweat pants and a tucked in black tank top. The red-eyed woman was wearing a pair of ripped jeans and a red shirt with the sleeves torn off.

Amy looked down at herself. She was wearing the same clothes as before except they were a bit dirtier then they were previously.

"Bah, my reason and your reason for being here are alike but not the same," the muscular woman countered.

"They are too the same," Cynthia whined.

Amy didn't move as she watched the scene unfold. She wasn't sure what to do but she figured it would be best to keep herself as small and unnoticeable as possible. But what was she going to do? Eventually she would have to move out of the corner. Amy couldn't stay there all night. Besides her head hurt. The bump she received earlier still hurt and the two new bumps on her head didn't help. But Amy wasn't really sure what to do. So far the criminals hadn't made any moves towards hurting her, in fact they seemed kind of friendly; but that was no reason to let her guard down. Maybe they were trying to make her let her guard down, and then they would make their move. However, they were in jail at the moment. Which meant there were guards watching the place, at least Amy hoped there were guards watching the place. That way if she was attacked she could scream for help.

Wasn't it wrong though? To judge these people before she knew them, wasn't that wrong? It was judging a book by its cover. Sure these people had been in jail but that didn't mean that they were necessarily bad people. Sometimes people were arrested for crimes they didn't commit. Maybe these were one of those times. Yet, at the same time Amy was still scared. She was nervous because these people were strangers. She was nervous because they were criminals. She was nervous because she was locked in a room with them and she was nervous because she was all alone with these people.

"_You know what?"_ Amy thought bitterly as she tried to reason with her thoughts and her situation, "_Life sucks."_

"No they're not," the muscular woman argued with Cynthia, "We weren't even members of the same gang."

Amy's thoughts came to a sudden crash, as if they had hit a large stone wall. Her thoughts seemed to crumble to dust at the impact and Amy was unable to form a coherent thought. It took a few moments before another thought could form.

Did that woman say gang? Like a thug gang? Like the kind that did what they pleased and didn't care about the consequences? The kind of gang from her manga books? The kind that rode around on motorcycles and did drugs in dark alleys? Or the kind that beat up other gangs and random people for the heck of it? The kind of gang where they wouldn't care that she was just some poor kid that was in the wrong place at the most terrible time and would beat her up? That kind of gang?

"_Stop being so judgmental,"_ Amy told herself, "_There are good gangs out there…I think. Everyone can't be bad. Think of Tohru's friend from Fruits Basket. She used to be part of a gang but look at the nice person she really was underneath it all. I shouldn't be judging a book by its cover."_

"But we both got arrested for being part of a gang," Cynthia pointed out, "So we were arrested for the same reason."

"No, you got arrested for being a spy for the gang while I got arrested for planning raids," the muscular woman said, "Those are two different reasons."

You know sometimes when a book looks beat up and worn out, it can contain glossy pages with the most wonderful story written on them. Other times you can open a beat up and worn out book and find beat up and worn out pages with so much dirt you can't make out the words.

"'_Don't judge a book by its cover,'"_ Amy recited, "_Books were books, but books were not people. People were way more complex then any book. Who made up that dumb expression anyway? Probably some bookworm with no social skills."_

"We both worked for a gang, end of story," Cynthia stated.

"No, it's not," the muscular woman was going to continue to list all the reasons that she and Cynthia were not arrested for the same reason, but was interrupted by the red-eyed woman.

"Don't you think we should introduce ourselves to our guest?" she cut in smoothly.

Both women blinked and looked at each other. They had totally forgotten how they had originally gotten into this argument. They blinked once more and looked at the girl in the corner.

Amy froze under the sudden attention. What the hell was she supposed to say now? She had just learned that two of the three people she had met were former gang members. Her voice box seemed to have forgotten how to work and her throat felt like it had been coated with something so it was hard to swallow. Her breathing was slow and she seemed to not be taking in any air at all. While her body seemed to freeze, Amy's brain was working overtime.

"_What should I do?"_ she thought frantically, "_What do I do?!"_

Should she say hi? Should she greet them? Should she act normal? Or should she curl up in a ball and wait until her time here was up? But just because she curled up that doesn't mean that the other people in the cell would leave her alone. What if they thought she was being offensive to them? What would they do then? Would they hurt her? Would they ignore her? She would have to leave the cell eventually. Amy couldn't hide forever.

All of the sudden Amy became aware of how she was acting. She was acting like a coward. Didn't she make a promise with herself that she wouldn't be a chicken? She made a promise that she would do what it would take to get home and to see her family.

"_My family,"_ Amy's body clenched up at that thought, "_My family…"_

* * *

Tigger: That's the end of chapter seventeen. Wow I can't believe we got this far.

Al: Tigger when is the last time you checked the number of reviews?

Tigger: Oh hey, Al. Where have you been?

Al: I was stuck in the story department. I couldn't fit through the door.

Tigger: Oh sorry to hear that.

Al: Thank you for caring, but I'm fine now. Besides you really should look at the number of reviews.

Tigger: Is it that bad?

Al: Just go look (shoves Tigger towards story department)

Tigger: Alright alright! I'm going, I'm going! (mumbles something about pushy posessed armor)

(A few minutes pass. Al twiddles his thumbs and then Amy comes up. The two of them wave to each other before Amy pulls out a book and sits down. Al continues to twiddle thumbs. Ed comes in. Al and Amy wave to him. Ed joins them. The three of them start talking about the weather and other small talk subjects. More minutes pass. Al begins to worry that something happened to Tigger. Amy tries to comfort him by saying Tigger probably just fell down a flight of stairs. Al panics until Ed points out that there are no stairs. Al calms down. More minutes pass. Just when they are about to go look for Tigger they hear a shout.)

Tigger: 98 REVIEWS! OMG! WAHOO! (Tigger comes running in) LOOK LOOK PEOPLE LOVE MY STORY! (Tigger begins to do a weird hypery victory dance) THANK YOU REVIEWERS! YOU MAKE ME FEEL GREAT!

Amy: YEAH WE'RE AWESOME! (joins Tigger in weird dance while Ed watches disturbed)

Tigger: Ahem. (tries to calm down) And because my reviews are so FREAKING AWESOME! I'm throwing them a party next chapter, which I'll release early, and they can all come!BUT only if they review this chapter!

Amy: That sounds awesome! Here I'll go get some ice-cream to celebrate.

(Amy runs over to giant freezer. On the outside of the freezer are pictures of Mustang during his torture. Amy opens up the freezer and inside is a giant frozen Mustang.)

Mustang: (shivering) Please...please..un...un..freeze...me.

Amy: So this is where Tigger put you as a punishment. Makes sense. (totally ignores Mustang and grabs a carton of ice-cream) Okay time to go celebrate! (shuts door with Mustang still inside)

Mustang: Wa..wa...wait!


	18. There is No Place Like Home

Tigger: HEY EVERYBODY! I just wanted to thank everybody who reviewed on that last chapter. THIS STORY NOW HAS ONE HUNDRED AND TEN REVIEWS!!

Amy: Because we only get one hundred views once, we've decided to list every person who ever reviewed this story.

Amy and Tigger: SO HERE WE GO!

Tigger: Thanks to **emolsifier, Fuurai, AlmightySquirrelQueen, The-Living-Shadow, Call-me-Lie-chan, Colonel Bastard, Giant-flying-radish-of-doom, Kuorami, YukiGakamo1, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, and Wandering Hitokiri.**

Amy: We also want to thank**HaruGoesMoo, Kuorami,** **FadingIntoTwilight, Blades of Silver, Libby The Great, xWeaselxWolfx, furuba8080, Nicola Meskhenet, and anime.storm.**

Tigger: The following have also inspired us**Draconian Master, shikun2669, Lucijune, Shadowess 88, Skilla, Miorochi, Mei Fire, HeeHeeHee01, Stteph., XhOuSeXoFxWoLvEsX, lilypop8, Seadrance, Spanish-Flower, and The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist.**

Amy: Finally our newest reviewers deserve praise**The WeyrWoman, FreeCream, Goldenfightergirl, depositink, vampgirl16, 3Luna21, and Twilightstorm1993.**

Tigger and Amy: WE APOLOGIZE IF WE MISSED ANY REVIEWERS AND WE HOPE YOU ALL CONTINUE TO REVIEW! ALSO ANY OF YOU WHO ONLY REVIEWED ONCE FEEL FREE TO REVIEW AGAIN YOUR SUPPORT MEANS A LOT!

(Both fall over from lack of air in their lungs.)

Al: Amy! Tigger! Are you okay?

(Both give a thumbs up)

Ed: Feh! Weaklings.

Winry: (hits Ed with wrench) Edward be nice! Tigger is working very hard on this story and she doesn't need any sass from you!

Ed: (rubbing injured head) Whatever. Look Tigger doesn't own FullMetal Alchemist or any of its characters. She only has rights over Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, Auntie Senile, and the jail people. So don't bother suing its a waste of time.

(Ed gets hit with a hammer)

Tigger: STOP DOING THE DAMN DISCLAIMER!

Ed: WELL WHEN IS THE LAST TIME YOU DID IT?

(long pause)

Amy: When is the last time you did the disclaimer?

Tigger: (sheepishly) About eight or so chapters ago.

(Disbelieving stares)

Tigger: What? Ed always beats me to it.

Amy: Anyway, stick around after the chapter for the party!

* * *

Her family. Amy hadn't given that much thought to her family. Sure she thought about them not being here and her not being there, but she hadn't thought of them specifically. She hadn't thought about her mom and her wonderful cooking or her dad and his jokes. She hadn't thought about Courtney and her strange obsession with monkeys. Amy hadn't even thought about Melinda and how Melinda used to follow her around like a little duckling following its mom. She hadn't thought about how each person in her family would react to her missing. Her dad would be angry and upset, and would search everywhere for her. Her mom would be calling everyone she knew looking for Amy. Courtney would pretend to act tough and try to help her parents, but would cry when no one was looking. Melinda wouldn't even pretend, she would cry and cry and cry until she ran out of tears. Amy stiffened when the crying images of her family entered her brain.

How could Amy have been so selfish not to think about how much she was hurting them? All she had thought about was getting home for her own benefit. Not once did she think about how much she was breaking her family's hearts. She didn't once think about how this would affect them. No matter how hard she searched they would never find her, never. They probably wouldn't even find a single clue to lead to her whereabouts. The police would state her as missing and the only trace of her existence would be the possessions she left behind and a file in some government building. How could Amy sit here being a coward when her family was searching for her? In the other world she was as good as dead. Just like her family was dead on this side of the gate. No, to them she was worse then dead. She didn't exist. Amy no longer existed on the other side of the gate. Her family didn't even have a body to bury. Amy was here and well, but she couldn't tell them. The Kishi family would never know that Amy was perfectly fine living on this side of the gate with her favorite characters. And Amy would never know if they were safe. She would never know what happened to them. If Amy stayed there she would never know if Courtney ever got a boyfriend and she would never witness Melinda finally becoming a double digit age-wise. She would never get to experience the precious moments with her family or even see their faces again. She had a picture of her sisters, but her sisters would change over time. They would grow up and Amy wouldn't be able to see it. She wouldn't get to see them grow up or get to help them get through life.

Amy didn't even notice that some wetness had developed at the corners of her eyes. She had forgotten where she was and who was surrounding her. Her thoughts were all centered on her family. Her mom, her dad, Melinda, and Courtney; Amy may never see them again. Her chest constricted as her sadness seemed to grip her lungs in a choke hold. She coughed and sputtered but Amy couldn't seem to get the feeling to go away. To never smile or laugh with them. To never see their faces or enjoy life with them. Amy wanted to go home. She wanted to see them so badly. Her heart hurt so much. It felt like someone was squeezing it. This wasn't like camp. They weren't going to write her letters and visit her. In a couple of weeks, she wouldn't just get to go home. She was stuck here and she never got to say good-bye.

Her poor parents. They said a parent losing their child was one of the worse pains one could imagine. It's like they lost part of themselves. The child they had raised and put their love and care into was gone. Gone. Her parents would hope she would come back, but it was possible that Amy would never return home. She was gone forever. They were gone forever. How could God be so cruel? It would be better if she had closure. Amy would never smile for her parents again or present them with a fabulous test grade. She would never laugh for them or rejoice when they brought her a new book. They had raised her since birth. They had been watching over her, her entire life. They saw her first step, heard her first laugh, wiped away her tears, and now she was gone. They would never see her go on her first date or attend the wedding. Her dad would never get to scare away boys from his teenage daughter and they would never see her graduate high school. They would never get to say "I love you" to her. Never again.

The tears were coming faster now. Amy thought she had none left, but she was wrong. There was a whole back-up store. The tears fell onto the cement floor of the jail. A jail in a different town, in a different country, in a different universe. Tears her family didn't know she was shedding. Tears her family was probably shedding as well. Saltwater that would stain the floor but eventually fade away. Because tears could offer no solution. The hand around Amy's heart gave another tight squeeze and she coughed again. Her nose felt runny and her muscles ached. Amy was homesick. No she was beyond homesick. Did your heart break when you were homesick? Did it feel like someone was stabbing your chest or squeezing your lungs? Did it feel like you could never get up again? That you couldn't go on? That your stomach felt like it dropped through the floor and you felt empty? When you were homesick did you feel so many conflicting painful things at the same time but in a way it all made sense? Amy was beyond homesick. She just wanted to curl up and sleep. She wanted to be able to open her eyes to her own house. Where her family was. Where her friends were. Where she never had to feel this way ever again.

Back at home Amy had never felt this way. She had led a blessed life. Her family wasn't perfect but they got along and had their good times. She loved her family and they loved her. She had never gone hungry or lost a limb. She had never lost someone, not till now. Sure, she had lost some pets but that wasn't like it was now. Amy had lost everything. Her family, her friends, her dreams, and the future she dreamed of having. Her life would never be the same. Even if she got back things wouldn't be exactly the same. You could never go back to the way things were. No matter how hard she tried, Amy knew it would take a while to get back. It could take years to get back, and every second she was here Amy was missing something back home. Missing her sisters grow, missing summer come, missing her friends.

Oh god, Amy hadn't given much thought to her friends either. Her friends were special to her because Amy had chosen to make relationships with her friends. She had chosen to grow up with them and spend her time with them. That's what made them special, because she chose to share her life with them. She had chosen all the times they hung out, the times they laughed, and she had chosen to grow up with them. Amy wouldn't get to see them and see their lives. Amy would no longer get to be a part of their lives. They wouldn't joke around together or sing Avenue Q songs at the top of their lungs. They would never complain to each other about teachers or projects. They would never watch fireworks in the rain or beat each other in video games. Amy would never share another happy moment with them. What made it even sadder was that they wouldn't be able to help Amy either. They couldn't help each other become citizens or see each other go out into the world. Her friends wouldn't be there to cheer her up or laugh when she tripped on her air. They couldn't encourage her to go on or say that things would get better, because they weren't here. Amy couldn't even tell them what was happening to her and ask them for advice. She could never tell them that she met Ed or that she accidentally knocked Al over. She would never tell them that she got tortured by Hughes's photos or seen Mustang be called useless. They were gone. She was gone.

More tears. They just kept coming. Amy couldn't think anymore. Her thoughts were drowned out by her own sobbing. Her chest heaved and tears dribbled down her face. She couldn't focus anymore on her family or friends. It hurt too much. The pain hurt too, but she couldn't stop it. She couldn't stop the feelings. The feelings of dread, nervousness, panic, sadness, and anger all mixed together. It hurt to think. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to be here right now. Her eyes were closed and she tried to focus, but she couldn't seem to concentrate. The pain felt fresh and raw. It didn't seem like it would ever close. Her heart felt stabbed and squeezed and broken, so why was it still beating? How could it hurt this much? All her heart did was pump blood, it wasn't supposed to hurt this much. A broken heart was just a metaphor, wasn't it? If so why is there physical pain where her heart is? It was so confusing. Nothing made sense anymore. The pain hurt, but it was comforting. She wanted to go home, but she couldn't think of home. She missed her family so much, but she couldn't make the effort to stand up and try to find a way home. It felt like her rib cage had broken into a million pieces, but her rib cage was still intact. She wanted to be left alone, but Amy didn't think she could live without comfort.

A warm pair of arms went around Amy. She hadn't even realized that she was on the ground. That she had curled up against the wall and was burying her head in her knees while her hands gripped her pants. The hug reminded her of her family. Of when her dad used to hug her when she was upset or when her mom had comforted her. When Amy used to hug her sisters when they cried about a nightmare. It reminded her of times when she was upset and her friends would be there comforting and supporting her? Amy led out another sob and cried even more. It hurt. It hurt so bad.

"Shhh, its okay," the voice said, "its okay."

Her mom used to say that. Her dad used to say that. She used to use those same words. Another sob caught in her throat and Amy felt like she was choking on her own tears. Why did this person keep reminding her of her family? Didn't she know that it hurt? Didn't she see the pain? Amy was sure there must have been a huge hole in her chest. A huge hole right where her heart used to be.

The person didn't let go though. They hugged her tighter and kept telling her it was okay. It wasn't okay. It wouldn't be okay. It hadn't been okay. The only time it was okay was when she was at home. But she wasn't home, she was here. Amy focused solely on those thoughts. She was sure the person would let go. That they would see this as a hopeless case and walk away. Yet, at the same time, Amy didn't want the person to let go. She needed this comfort. It felt so good to know that there was someone else who cared about her. The pain was still there, but this person was distracting her from it. They were bringing her comfort.

Amy's problems were still there and her family was still gone, but as time went by she began to let her thoughts drift. Instead Amy let herself think about the hug. It was warm and comforting. The person was offering their strength through the hug. It was an understanding hug. The person understood her pain, but they didn't take any of the pain away. They seemed to understand that Amy needed this pain. She needed it to remind her of who she was and where she had came from.

Slowly but surely, Amy began to feel a bit better. Nothing was impossible, Amy could get home! No damn magical door was going to separate her from her family! Amy was going to get home. She was going to study like a crazy person and pass Mustang's stupid test. Then she was going to travel with the Elrics and help them find the Philosopher's Stone even if it meant dragging them across the damn country! She was going to find the Philosopher's stone and she was going to see her family again!

Amy felt her spirits soar as she tried to think positively. This day had been emotionally draining. All she had done so far today was be scared witless multiple times, cry, get angry, knock stuff over, become cheerful, and almost get killed. Add this to the fact that she hadn't slept in about twenty-four hours, and you get one exhausted teenager. More then anything Amy would have like to take a nap right then and there, but it was barely lunch time. Or at least Amy assumed it was around lunch time. She didn't know how long she had been out for and there were no clocks or windows down here.

Man, Amy couldn't believe she went unconscious twice. Twice! At home she had so much as come close to fainting and here she couldn't stop. Granted one time was due to Edward knocking her out, but still… Maybe it was sort of weird side effect to coming through the Gate. Maybe as a trade the Gate took her ability to stay conscious or her ability to keep her emotions in check.

"_Warning weird dimensional portals may have side effects,"_ Amy thought sarcastically, imitating a medicine commercial, "_Side effects may include going into books, almost getting killed, and losing your sanity."_

Sanity. It was such a nice word. A word that Amy once scoffed at. Who needed to be sane when you hung out with her friends? But now, Amy had a different view on the word. No one here was sane. And by no one Amy meant no one. They weren't even the fun insane. Mustang was a perverted officer who could shoot flames. Riza was a strict gun happy woman. Edward Elric was a temperamental midget with height problems. Havoc was an emotional man who couldn't keep a woman if his life depended on it. Hughes was obsessed with his daughter and wife, and could pull pictures from thin air. Breda was a sarcastic lazy genius with a phobia of dogs. Falman was a walking encyclopedia. Fuery was a shy mechanical whiz. Armstrong was a hug happy, teary, sparkly man, with a huge ego, and could crush someone with his overly large muscles. The only sane person was Al and he was a suit of armor!

Truthfully, the Full Metal Alchemist characters were exhausting. They could drive people up walls without even trying, but that's why Amy liked them. She liked their attitudes and the way they brought life to the stories. The way they brought humor to, what would otherwise be, a serious action story. The characters were just enjoyable. So they irritated Amy and tired her out, but she it was a good tired. Like the tired after having a pillow fight or beating your friends in a silly race. Sure your body was wondering what was wrong with you, but you were happy. That's how Amy felt right now. She felt physically drained and sore, and there were so many injuries on her body she couldn't count them all; but she couldn't ignore the tiny bud of happiness that had come forth.

Besides it wasn't like Amy could just decide she had enough and press a button and go home. It wasn't anything like that. Amy was stuck here and she had to face that, and, like she said before, she was going to try the best of this situation. Who cares if Ed was being a prick? He would come around. Al was on her side, and so were most of the military members. She would get to see Winry, and see automail being built first hand. Plus, Amy could see more of the story without having to buy the books or waiting for chapters to be downloaded online. In fact, this was better then reading the book. When one's reading they can't taste the food, hear the sounds, or smell the smells; but being here was just like being in her regular world. She would be able to experience everything first hand. How many fangirls would kill to be in her position right now? They would love the fact that she spoke to Mustang, touched Ed, and had a conversation with Al.

Some fangirls would go wild if they found out Amy was here and they would try just about anything to get here. Even if it meant giving up their own lives back home. They would agree to come without giving it a second thought, and then probably regret it later on once they realized what they had done. Just because they were here doesn't mean that Ed or Al will fall for them. There are plenty of girls in their world, what's it matter that one more is added to the number? Besides didn't they realize that once they left there was a possibility that they would never see their friends or family again? That they may not be so lucky and have no i-pod or laptop. Then what would they do? They would have no way to get home, no way to contact their family, and no definite reason to stay in the FMA world. Yet, many fangirls would jump at the chance without giving it a second thought.

"_Would I have jumped at the chance?"_ Amy asked herself.

She thought this over. Sure, she would have loved to come here and experience everything first hand. Amy would have been ecstatic to know that she could go into her favorite manga. That she could see automail, learn alchemy, and meet her favorite characters. She would be stunned and excited, but then she would wonder what the cost was. She knew the rules, to cross the Gate she would have to give something up. Amy would have known that she would have to leave her family and friends. So, most likely, she would have declined. Amy wouldn't be able to give up her family and friends, not even for Ed and Al. Plus, deep down, Amy knew she wasn't brave or tough enough to volunteer for this. She had little confidence in her fighting abilities and she was very shy when it came to new people. Her answer would have most definitely no. However, there were still be others who would jump at the chance.

Amy didn't really like those kind of fangirls. It was one thing if they loved the show and appreciated the characters. It was another if they thought Ed was hot and that they were his type of girl. Those kind of people ruined books. They were the kind of people who would write fanfiction and make Mary-Sues. Their characters would be drop dead gorgeous, have a tragic past, and totally derail the story from its plotline. The story was about Ed and Al getting their body backs, not about Ed and Al wandering around and falling in love with girls. Amy didn't mind if fanfiction had some romance in it, romance is a part of life, but she did mind when the authors had no appreciation for the characters. When the authors focused more on falling in love then having Ed and Al complete their quest. When the story line was the last thing on the author's mind.

"_Am I disrupting the story line by being here?"_ Amy wondered.

She paused to let this sink in. Was she? Was she going to be like the Mary-Sues she detested and lead the story off track? Amy didn't want that. She didn't want to stop Ed and Al from getting their bodies back. The whole reason she read the manga was because she enjoyed watching Ed and Al's adventures while trying to get their bodies back. She couldn't disrupt the plot! But, hadn't she disrupted it already? Quickly she thought over the day's events. Everything she had read happened, but she did interfere a little bit. For some reason, Amy showed up before Mustang, and she also prevented Ed from leaving to go to Winry's right away. There were also the added events of her meeting Scar, her freaking out, and her talking to the others. So far Amy hadn't messed up the plot, but she was going to. Amy was going to travel around with the Elrics if she passed Mustang's test. So she really was going to distract the story, but she couldn't help it. Amy wanted to get home. Why couldn't she do what she wanted to do? Ed and Al were selfish too, searching for the Philosopher's Stone for their own sake. Why couldn't Amy be selfish? Couldn't she look for the stone too? It wasn't like she was going to make them give up their quest, if anything she would try to help them. If she made sure the story stayed on track then everything would be fine, right? As long as Amy made sure Ed and Al found the Philosopher's Stone, then it wouldn't matter that she was here.

"_I'll do everything in my power to make sure Ed and Al find the Philosopher's stone while I'm here,"_ Amy promised herself.

It was a big promise, but it was the least she could do. If Ed, Al, and the other soldiers were going to help take care of her and find a way home, then she should be able to do something for them. Ed and Al deserved better then to have some bookworm from the wrong century following them around. She wouldn't be a burden. She wouldn't hold them down or stop anyone else in this story from going down the path they were supposed to.

An image of Ed holding a broom popped into Amy's mind. She was a bit surprised at the sudden image but then a small smile played on Amy's lips. However, just because she was decided not to be a burden, didn't mean Amy couldn't do a few things in her own interest.

Amy began to make a mental list of things she needed to do. Hey since she was here, she was going to enjoy herself. First thing on her list: Call Ed short. She considered it revenge for knocking her out with a broom and then not apologizing for it. The next thing would be to get revenge on Mustang for sticking her in jail, but she might not have time to do that before she left tomorrow……..

"_Wait a second,"_ Amy thought, thinking over her last sentence.

Amy was still in jail and someone was hugging her. So if she was in a cell with three criminals, who was hugging her?

* * *

(Reviewers walk into a large room with a high ceiling. The floor is made of dark polished wood and the walls are a bright red. There are giant chandielrs hanging from the ceiling and a stage on one end of the room. Behind the stage there is a giant banner saying "CONGRATS ON THE REVIEWS".)

Tigger: HEY EVERYONE AND WELCOME TO THE PARTY ROOM!

Ed: Not much of a party room.

(Tigger claps her hands and there is a loud 'poof' as yellow smoke appears.)

Winry: Tigger what's going on?

Amy: (while coughing) Was the (cough) smoke (cough) really necessary?

(There is a whirring of fans and the smoke clears.)

Tigger: Is this better?

(There is now a line of tables on one side of the room filled with snacks, two huge freezers full of ice-cream, a Whack-an-Ed, a dunk tank with Mustang in it, a life sized Alphonse doll, Envy chained to the stage, and a gaint flatscreen mounted on one of the walls playing Mustang's torture video.)

Amy: I call the Whack-an-Ed! (runs over)

Winry: I call it next! (follows Amy)

Al: Is that a giant life size version of me?

Tigger: Yeah, I got the idea from 'FullMetal Alchemist Profiles'. Hiromu Arakawa wanted one.

Al: (blushes) This is the first time anyone built something that looked like me. (gets all sparkly eyed)

Tigger: (sweatdrops) Okay. Uhmm go check it out. (Al runs over) Anyway for the rest of you I have a few announcements to make before we party. First off I want to thank Stteph. for being my 100th reviewer! Pizazz! You get first dibs with the songs. Just tell Envy who you want to play and Envy will transform into that singer and play that song. And if he doesn't then press this button (tosses remote with a big red button) and it will shock him.

(Envy glares at Tigger)

Tigger:Oh yeah I'm so dead after this. Anyway I want to give some rewards to people. First off is emoslifer who created the best name to call Edward. The Diminutive Full Metal. (Ed tries to escape and strangle reviewer but is stopped by a ammer from Amy.) Here's your prize. (Tigger produces fancy ribbon and gives it to reviewer.) Next up is Call-me-Lie-chan who gave me some great advice (Gives reviewer a ribbon). Giant-flying-radish-of-doom also gets a ribbon for sending me on the funniest reviews which included her cat giving CPR. (Another ribbon.) Pyschotic Pyro Fairy gets a ribbon for giving me a wonderful metaphor about empty ice-cream containers. Any reviewer who participated in 'The Hunt' gets a ribbon. (Is basically throwing ribbons into the crowd at this point.)

(Why Tigger is talking a girl with long brown hair walks over to the dun tank with Mustang in it. The minute Tigger finishes her speech the girl whacks the dunk tank and Mustang falls in. There is a long silence.)

Tigger: And Annora (Wandering Hitokiri's character) gets a ribbon for being the first person to dunk Mustang in the ice cold water. NOW EVERYONE GO PARTY AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!


	19. I Feel a Headache Coming On

Tigger: Eh, I am so doomed.

Amy: Any particular reason?

Tigger: Ed, Envy, and Mustang are out to get me.

Amy: That explains the ridiculous costume.

Tigger: (Looks at herself. Tigger is wearing a Link costume.) Hey, Link is cool!

Amy: --

(Al walks in)

Amy: Hey Al!

Al: Hi Amy. Where's Tigger?

(Giant arrow points to Tigger in her obvious costume, but AL doesn't notice.)

Amy: Uhhh..I have no idea.

Al: Shouldn't she be doing the disclaimer now? You know saying that she doesn't own FullMetal Alchemist or any of its characters, and that she only owns Amy, Amy's family, Amy's friends, and the people in jail.

Tigger: UGH! ALL OF YOU STOP DOING MY DISCLAIMER!

Al: Tigger?!

Tigger: Oops.

Ed: There she is get her!

(Ed, Envy, and Mustang start running towards Tigger.)

Tigger: Oh monkies! Hey stay back I have a plastic sword. (Holds up sword feebly) Oh screw this. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! (Tigger runs like hell with Ed, Envy, and Mustang chasing her.)

* * *

Amy's thoughts seemed to go in slow motion as she came to the obvious conclusion. She was being hugged by one of the criminals. One of them was trying to comfort her. There was a pause in Amy's train of thought as she took this in. Then her thoughts came back in a rush.

Gah! She was such an idiot! Amy blamed the Gate, it was his fault for emotionally messing her up! If she had been more on the ball, she would have realized this sooner. But what should Amy do now? She had already acted scared in front of them and tried to back away from them. She had judged them and then had an emotional break down in front of them. Amy felt her face go red and her body temperature rise. This was so embarrassing. After she had judged them, she cried in front of them. In front of complete strangers! Then they made her feel better. She acted scared of them and they helped her!

A wave of guilt washed over Amy. She had judged a book by its cover. These people were being perfectly nice to her and Amy assumed the worse of them just because they were in jail. She was such a hypocrite. Not wanting to be judged by others while she was judging others. If anything the people in the jails belonged to this society more then Amy did. They were born and raised in this world while Amy was an alien to this world. Amy was such a filthy hypocrite and she felt disgusted with herself. Guilt did not sit with Amy well. Sure, no one knew that she had judged these people but that didn't make the crime any less offensive. Her stomach churned as she thought about her earlier remarks.

"You okay?" a voice asked Amy.

Amy's head jerked up. She had forgotten where she was for a moment and the voice caught her by surprise. The top of her head collided with the person's chin. A dull throb immediately erupted at the top of Amy's skull and the other person hissed in pain.

"Ow!" they exclaimed backing away.

The sudden lack of support made Amy sway in her spot before she fell onto her back. Luckily, her back hit the floor first and Amy was spared further head injuries. She lied there for a moment stunned. Then she regained what composure she had and put a hand on her head. Slowly she began to massage the bump while being mindful of her other injuries. Just how many injuries had she gotten today?

The others in the room began to take action. Amy heard footsteps and the sound of a book closing.

"Cynth, how do you feel?" the one with accent asked.

"Fine, I just hit my chin. Luckily I didn't bite my tongue," Cynthia replied.

Amy heard clothes swooshing and guessed that Cynthia was getting up. Cynthia sounded different then before. Before Amy's breakdown Cynthia had reminded Amy of a spoiled teenage child. Now she sounded more grown-up. Plus when she had been comforting Amy, Cynthia had sounded almost motherly and understanding. Okay now Amy was confused. Was Cynthia bipolar or something?

"_Oh no, not another bipolar person,"_ Amy thought aghast, "_Auntie Senile was enough and she's the reason I'm in this mess. If she hadn't sent me to Central when she did I might have missed running into Scar."_

Sometimes it was easier to blame what happened on other people. It was a somewhat childish thing to do but it made Amy feel better. Besides who else could she blame? It wasn't her fault she was here. All Amy did was try to shut off her computer so she could go get Chinese food. Since when was eating a crime? Amy couldn't exactly blame the Gate either. It only opened when someone else opened it. Which means some alchemist must have been trying to perform human transmutation. But that didn't explain how Amy got here or why she appeared where she did. So Amy was back at square one with no one to blame and locked in a jail cell. God is so nice isn't he?

"Hey, how you feeling kid?" a voice asked.

Amy craned her neck to see the red-eyed woman looking down at her. She had her arms crossed against her chest and was standing in a rebellious looking pose. The woman gave off waves of self-assurance. She seemed strong willed and independent. The woman looked like the kind of person who spoke exactly what was on her mind and didn't care what others thought about her.

Amy nodded yes, answering the woman's question, and sat up. Gingerly she rubbed her elbow, which had hit the ground rather hard. While she did this Amy observed the other women in the room. The muscular woman was standing by Cynthia and looking at the bruise that was beginning to form on her chin. Cynthia was trying to get sympathy from the muscular woman, but it was to no avail. Red-eyes had her body shifted towards Cynthia, as if looking at her jail mate, but was actually looking at Amy from the corner of her eye. As Amy continued to observe she noticed something. All of these women seemed fit and confident. They all had visible muscles and seemed at ease with what was going on. None of them were jumpy or nervous looking. Amy could tell by the way the women held themselves and the way they acted that these women were self-possessed. They looked like the kind of people who wouldn't be scared if someone held a gun up to their face.

In a way, all the women in FMA acted like that. They were all self-confident and let no one bring them down. They were always themselves and did what they pleased. Riza worked in a profession mostly taken by men, and didn't let anything get to her. Winry was very outgoing and could handle a wrench quite well. Even Auntie Senile looked like she would punch anyone who tried to put a gun in her face. Not only were they strong physically, but emotionally as well. All of them lost someone important in their life, yet they continued to live life. They also were the support for the men in their lives. Havoc, Fuery, Falman, and Breda knew that they could count on Riza when they needed help, whether it was in battle or just troubles at home. Mustang also knew that Riza was a loyal officer and would stick by him no matter what. When Ed and Al preformed the human transmutation Winry was there to help them out, and she is always waiting for them and comforting them. Auntie Senile had a husband and son who both depended on her, and other people depended on the herbs she grew. They were all so strong and independent in a time where woman were supposed to be suppressed.

Amy felt her stomach drop and some unease creep into the back of her mind.

"_Will I ever be like that?"_

Would there ever be a time when Amy could be fearless? Would there be a time when she could fight Scar without freezing up? Would she ever become someone the Elrics could depend on and trust? Would she be able to fight her own battles? Stand up after being knocked down? Continue going down the path she had chosen? Would she ever be as strong as Winry or Riza? Would she ever become an assertive person instead of a passive one? One day would she get over her shyness and be herself with people the first time she met them? Would she be able to travel someplace by herself without feeling scared? Would there be a day when she became independent and could be looked up to? A day in which someone desired to be like her? Would she ever grow up, mature, and take the world on while on her own two feet?

Amy thought this over. She would like to change, to become someone dependable and strong. She wanted to become like the women in the FMA universe. To be able to pull the trigger when she needed to, and to face her fears head on. To fight Scar without freezing up or freaking out. To be able to keep going with her head held high, no matter the circumstances.

But if Amy kept sitting here none of that will happen. If she kept sitting, waiting for someone else to make a move, then she would never become the person she desired.

Squashing the butterflies in her stomach before they got a chance to emerge, Amy stood up. The only person who noticed this was Red eyes, who cast Amy a glance from the corner of her eye. Taking a deep breathe Amy spoke.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked Cynthia, who was still trying to gain sympathy from the tanned woman.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and openly stared at Amy. Before Amy could say anything, or even turn red from embarrassment, Cynthia hugged her. She flew into Amy's side and gave a crushing hug while smiling like an idiot.

"You speak!" she shouted joyfully.

Slightly bewildered, Amy could only nod a yes. What was going on here? One moment she was serious and the next Cynthia was acting like a child. Was she really bipolar?

"That is so great! I thought you were mute!" she admitted smiling, "Here I'll introduce you to everyone!"

She spun Amy around so that she was in front of her and facing the others. Amy gripped the sides of her head as the room seemed to tilt. Cynthia ignored the dizzy Amy and began to introduce everyone.

"I'm Cynthia," she said, peeking out from behind Amy's back.

Before Amy could get a good look at Cynthia, she disappeared behind Amy's back again. Amy felt two hands grip her shoulders, one on either side, and then jerk her to the side so she was now facing the other people in the cell.

"That's Betty," Cynthia introduced, "She's really smart and likes to read a lot. Although she is kind of mean to me at times and can be so unemotional!"

Amy was able to stop her head from swimming and looked at the person Cynthia was pointing at. It was the big muscular woman with tan skin and black hair.

"You just think I'm mean," Betty said in her accented voice, "I'm just stating the obvious."

Betty smirked as Cynthia fumed.

"Well," Cynthia paused frustrated while trying to come up with a comeback, "Well, you're tan!"

Was that supposed to be an insult? It was more like stating a fact. Maybe Cynthia really was bipolar.

"_Am I just a magnet for bipolar people?"_ Amy thought, "_Maybe I'm just a magnet for bad luck. Yeah, that would make sense and explain so much."_

"Anyway," Cynthia grabbed Amy by the shoulders and shifted her so she was facing Red eyes, "This is Martha. She's really cool. Used to be the leader of a gang. Except they never killed anyone. Kind of weird for a gang."

"_Great. Now I know that all of the people in this cell except for me were gang members at one point," _Amy thought sarcastically.

Before Amy could put any more thought into the subject Cynthia jumped out from behind her. Why did Amy have the feeling she would be gaining another headache? Cynthia leaned forward and looked at Amy straight in the eyes. Immediately Amy's stomach clenched up and she became rigged. Her heart pounded in her chest and Amy felt the adrenaline rushing through her. Cynthia loomed in closer and Amy was practically nose to nose with her. Suddenly Cynthia gave Amy another hug and then pulled away before Amy could react.

"You are so cute!" she squealed, "But you have a boyish haircut and clothes. Don't worry I'll fix that!"

Amy blinked a couple of times. Things were going too fast to comprehend. Was Cynthia on a sugar rush or something?

"Cynth, give her some breathing room," Betty instructed, "I think she's still trying to recover from you screaming in her ear."

Amy immediately felt gratitude towards Betty. Cynthia pouted for a second but backed up when she saw Amy's confused face. Her hugs were almost as bad as Armstrong's, and that was saying something. What was with people and trying to kill Amy by crushing her to death with hugs? There were probably easier ways to kill her, and less painful too.

Suddenly Cynthia got a huge grin on her face. She sprang over to the bunk bed opposite the one Amy had been resting on, and knelt down next to the lower bunk. Then she began to push stuff aside and throw items behind her. Multiple objects zoomed through the air and began to make a small pile. Amy watched as the girl pulled out more objects then Amy thought was possible to fit in that small of a space. The other three continued to watch as the pile grew bigger and bigger. Cynthia seemed unable to find what she was looking for and switched to pulling stuff out from under the bed. An awkward silence fell on the onlookers as no one knew what to say.

"So," Betty began trying to break the silence, but she was interrupted by a flying umbrella.

Betty held her book up as a shield, and the umbrella bounced off the book before joining the other items in the pile. Briefly Amy wondered why there was an umbrella down there. The jail was sort of underground, and last Amy checked one didn't need umbrellas below ground. How had Cynthia gotten it there anyway?

"You never told us your name," Martha injected while smoothly dodging a box of crayons.

Amy's face flushed. Whoops. How did she forget to tell them her name? She had already been in the cell for at least a half hour, not to mention the time she was unconscious. Shouldn't it have occurred to her that she should introduce herself? The others would have wanted to know. But no, Amy was too busy getting head injuries, having mini heart attacks, and having emotional problems. She was too preoccupied with being the emotional weirdo she was to let the small detail of introducing herself get in her way. Gah! And now she was just standing here blushing while the others cast her odd looks. Today was just not Amy's day.

"I'm Amy," Amy told them.

She meant to speak loudly but her voice was small due to the fact that her throat felt like it was closing up. Stupid embarrassment. Stupid butterflies. Amy was sure she had crushed them before speaking to anyone.

"It's nice to meet you Amy," Betty spoke, still using the book as a shield.

"You know you made quite an entrance before," Martha noted.

"I did?!" Amy asked, confused and embarrassed.

These strangers were seeing more of her faults then Amy felt comfortable with.

"It is the first time I've seen anyone come into jail unconscious," Martha stated, "Havoc had to carry you in."

Amy's face became even redder. She was carried through a jail while still knocked out. Everyone had probably stared at her. They were probably going to ask her questions later on and rumors would fly around. So it wasn't bad enough that she had to be in jail, soon Amy would be the laughing stock of the entire jail. Especially if anyone found out exactly how Amy became unconscious.

Amy sighed, trying to release some of the stress that was building up. It wasn't that Amy particularly cared about rumors. In fact, Amy didn't care at all. Back in middle school, when preteen drama still existed, Amy had never cared what others thought of her. She was often happy to find out others thought of her as weird. Contrary to popular belief, people would rather hang out with a nice manga obsessed weirdo then a snippy "popular" rumor-spreading person. So it wasn't really the rumors that were bothering her, she didn't care if people thought she was from Mars or something stupid like that, what Amy did care about was how others would treat her. Amy had judged a book by its cover, and other people were sure to do it too. There were probably rumors spreading throughout all the other cells right now. They were most likely saying stuff that was entirely false, but some might believe them. Those who believed the rumors would treat Amy accordingly to the lies they'd been told.

Now Amy knew a lot about how people acted when it came to rumors. If the rumor was something gruesome, like she had killed someone, then people would tend to avoid her. If the rumor was that she slept with someone then people would judge her and badmouth her behind her back. If the rumor was that she was dating someone, then people would continue to spread the gossip until some bystander came up and asked her for the truth. Amy knew a lot about how people reacted when it came to hearing lies and spreading gossip, it was a requirement in middle school. But what Amy did know was how hardcore criminals reacted to rumors.

Sure, it was true some of the criminals may be like her cell mates and be perfectly nice. Others, however, may not be so nice. It was impossible for Amy to tell how any of them may react. The criminals may act just like the kids who Amy went to junior high with. But they could also react the complete opposite. Maybe they would punch Amy in the face if they didn't like what they heard. Maybe they would gang up on her. They could even persuade the guards to join their cause. Whatever they did, Amy was sure if the rumors were bad, the results would be bad.

The women in Amy's cell weren't acting that way though. But it was possible that they hadn't heard any rumors. It was also possible that they were waiting to hear "from the horse's mouth". It was also possible that criminals didn't spread rumors or gossip. The first and last possibilities seemed unlikely though. A bunch of women locked in cells underground with little or no contact with the outside world would talk up a storm when something new arrived. And lucky for Amy, she was probably the talk of the week.

"_Is this a women only jail?" _Amy mused.

Her own question made Amy think. She had been unable to see the other jailers before. In fact, Amy didn't really know anything about this jail. For all she knew Amy could have been in Central jail. It was possible that they transported her while she was sleeping. Questions began to form in Amy's mind. Was this a women only jail? Or were there men? If so were the men on a different floor? How were people grouped into cells? Was it random? Or were they organized according to crimes? Were the mass murderers on the same floor as everyone else? Were they locked in a different section of the jail? Did the criminals stay in their cell all day or did they get to leave the cell? What did they do for going to the bathroom and showering? Did they eat in the cell too? Was there a cafeteria? If so did the mass murderers eat with everyone else? Speaking of food, when was the next meal?

* * *

(Ed, Envy, and Mustang run onto screen)

Mustang: Where did she go?

Envy: (cracks knuckles) When I find that tomboy I'm going to crack her head open!

Tigger: (jumps out from behind box) I'd like to see you try!

(pause)

Tigger: Damn it! I couldn't resist the temptation to taunt Envy.

Envy: I'm going to kill you! (Charges at Tigger)

Tigger: Ahh! (Claps her hands together to beg and then a giant jar falls on Envy, trapping him.)

(Everyone blinks except for Envy who is pounding on the jar.)

Tigger: (looks at her hands incredulously) BEHOLD THE POWER OF IMAGINATION!

(Claps hands two more times. Two more jars fall out of the ceiling and capture Ed and Mustang.)

Tigger: I'm going to have so much fun with this. Oh yeah, thanks to **anime.storm, Uxinta-Youkai, The-Living-Shadow, Mei Fire, xWeaselxWolfx, FreeCream, lilypop8, Shadowess 88, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, xXxJoker's Twilight RosexXx, HeeHeeHee01, Stteph., Fuurai, Draconian Master, Twilightstorm1993, Spanish-Flower, and Wandering Hitokiri. **Tune in next time to see what I do to this playboy, midget, and unidentified gender thing.

Ed, Envy, and Mustang: HEY!


	20. Beware of Flying Shoes

Tigger: Hola everyone! Sorry this chapter is a day late Fanfiction wouldn't let me log on yesterday.

Ed: Not to mention you had to go to the doctors to get your foot inspected.

Tigger: And there's that.

Amy: What did you do now Tigger?

Tigger: I may or may not have broken my pinkie toe.

Al: You broke your pinky toe?

Tigger: Yeah, but it is only a hairline fracture, so basically nothing has changed except it hurts when I walk. They can't even give me a cast so I resorted to walking on the side of my foot.

Amy: Didn't you go to a friend's house anyway?

Tigger: Yep! I'm kind of used to injuries so a little pain on my toe is no biggy. I can even race, but the doc says I have to be careful.

Al: How did you break it anyway?

Tigger: Skydiving.

(Insert disbelieving looks here)

Tigger: What? How do you know that's not true?

Al: You just don't seem like the skydiving type.

Ed: Didn't you break your toe by kicking a couch?

Tigger: THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!

Amy: How do you accidentally kick a couch?

Tigger: Shut up. Anyway thank you **lilypop8, FreeCream, fox maiden, blizardwolf1, Shadowess 88, whats-up-people, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, anime.storm, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, HeeHeeHee01, Fuurai, xWeaselxWolfx, Wandering Hitokiri, Twilightstorm1993, DC, WhiteWingAlchemist, and Ria442.**

Amy: Wow that was alot of names.

Tigger: It was.

Al: Weren't Ed, Envy, and Mustang mad and chasing you last chapter and then you locked them in jars?

Tigger: They broke out but we reached an agreement. (Ed, Envy, and Mustang nod their heads) By the way I do not nor will I ever own the shorty known as Ed, the womanizer known as Mustang, or the unidentified gender thing that looks like a palm tree known as Envy.

Ed, Envy, and Mustang: TIGGER!

Tigger: BYE! (runs off)

* * *

Amy's stomach gave a growl at that last thought. Amy had been so wrapped up in what was going on, she hadn't paid any attention to her body. She was starving! The last thing she ate was that cheese-stick a couple of hours ago. Before that the last thing Amy had eaten was the cookies at Auntie Senile's house the day before, which she later threw up. She had only had a couple of cookies and that didn't make up for the fact that Amy had missed dinner in her own world. Dinner was Amy's favorite meal and she it was usually when she ate the most food. Basically Amy hadn't gotten proper food in about thirty hours. Amy also had to use the bathroom too. Once again the last time she had gone was a couple hours ago and her bladder was full by now.

So what should Amy do at a time like this? Food was important but it could wait. Her bladder was much more urgent. But Amy didn't know where the bathroom was, which meant she had to ask someone. It was at times like these where Amy wished she had more courage. She remembered when she was little and her parents use to take her to restaurants. Amy would always have to go to the bathroom and she would ask her parents where it was. Her parents would say to ask the waiter, but Amy would be too shy about it. She thought it was embarrassing to ask some stranger such a personal question, but her parents would insist it would be good social skills for later in life. Still Amy would not ask the waiter until she absolutely needed to. Then, when that time came, Amy would slide out of her seat and walk over to the nearest waitress. Amy would wait patiently if the person was busy with something, fidgeting all the while. Finally when the server would turn her attention to Amy, she would become bright red and ask in a tiny voice where the bathroom was while looking at the floor. Once Amy had found out the location of the restroom, Amy would thank the waitress and run off without looking back.

Some things hadn't changed when Amy got older. Although Amy did get a bit better at getting information from waiters, she could never look them straight in the eye. The story was entirely different when Amy was with friends or in a comfortable situation. With friends, Amy was more confident and expressed her opinions freely. At the moment though Amy had neither friends or was in a comfortable situation. So she was back where she started. Taking a deep breath, Amy announced her question while staring at the floor.

"Hey," Amy said in a small voice, "Can one of you tell me where the bathroom is?"

No one heard Amy though. There was too much ruckus going on. Toys, games, tools, and other random things were bouncing off the walls and ceiling and into Cynthia's growing pile. Betty was lecturing Cynthia, but Cynthia wasn't listening and Betty couldn't get too close to her without getting hit by something. Martha was chuckling at the scene if front of her and didn't seem to mind the gravity breaking objects that flew by her head.

Amy knew she would have to get closer if she wanted anyone to hear her question. She had hoped by announcing it that they wouldn't be able to see her face or how Amy wasn't looking them in the eyes. But luck wasn't with her on that. Quietly Amy walked up to Martha's side. Martha seemed the calmest out of everyone and she didn't look like the kind who would laugh at Amy for asking such a question. Amy stood besides Martha for a moment and watched as Martha continued to chuckle at the scene before her. Feeling a little bit of déjà vu, Amy reached out and lightly poked Martha's elbow. Martha stopped chuckling and looked over at Amy. It was then that Amy realized how much taller Martha was, she had to be at least a good head taller then Amy. When Martha looked down at Amy, she began to feel uneasy and embarrassed. Amy felt like a small child who had to ask some big scary muscular man if he would mind moving because he was in the way.

However, Amy couldn't back away now. What would Martha think of her? That she poked Martha to provoke her? It wasn't like Martha was one of Amy's friends back home. Back there Amy would poke her friends and then pretend it wasn't her and start whistling really badly. She couldn't do that here. People on this side of the Gate wouldn't get how it was only a joke, and Amy might end up offending them. Besides, Amy had to piss. Her bladder was worth more then her pride. Amy was pretty sure jail guards didn't keep extra bladders around in case one exploded.

"Excuse me," Amy said in a small voice.

It was meant to be louder and more confident but Amy's throat had constricted under fear and pressure. This was the only voice she could squeeze out.

"Excuse me," Amy continued, "Where's the bathroom?"

She was avoiding direct eye contact. Amy was staring right below Martha's eyes. That way it would look like she was trying to stare at Martha's eyes but was too short to due so. This was one of those times where Amy was glad that everyone in FMA was freakishly tall, except for Ed of course.

"The toilet?" Martha asked.

Amy nodded her head 'yes' as a response. Her face was red and Amy could feel her temperature increase slightly, although she tried to not let it show. This was so embarrassing. She wished the ground would swallow her up, so that she didn't have to look at Martha's eyes. It felt like someone was boring holes in her forehead. Martha couldn't have been glaring could she? It was just a simple question. Maybe Martha was just staring. Yeah that was it. Martha was just staring…really hard at Amy's forehead…for no apparent reason. Why couldn't the ground just eat her already? If doors can bring her to alternative dimensions that a floor should be able to swallow her.

"The toilet is right over there," Martha informed Amy.

Amy looked to where Martha was pointing. She was pointing at the small wall that jutted out behind the bunk beds. It took Amy about one second to realize that Martha meant the toilet was behind the wall.

"Uhmm," Amy was at a loss for words, "Thanks."

"No problem," Martha responded.

Amy turned to look at Martha's face. She didn't look mad or angry. Amy looked into Martha's eyes. Martha was smiling genuinely. Immediately Amy felt the guilty for thinking that Martha would be mad at her for asking such a simple question. Hadn't she already proved to Amy that she wasn't like that?

"Don't worry, no one's going to look," Martha told her, "It's a little weird the first time you use it but you get used to it."

Confusion spread across Amy's face. What did she mean by that? It was just a toilet right? Sure it would be an outdated toilet compared to the one's Amy used, but it would still be a toilet. It couldn't be any worse then a Port-a-John. Those smelt disgusting and were always grubby and dirty. Amy already knew that there couldn't be a Port-a-John behind that wall, she would have smelt it already. So what did Martha mean by it was weird? How could a toilet be weird? And why would anyone look? Were the other people perverted homosexuals?

Now Amy had nothing against homosexuals, she was friends with a few of them, but she did think it was weird to be peeked on. Amy would feel the same way if you told her a guy would peek on her. Amy was self-conscious and always dressed properly. She was no slut, she didn't even know how to flirt! So the idea of people looking at her while she went to the bathroom creeped Amy out on more then one level.

However Martha said they wouldn't peek. Which means that A) they weren't perverts or B) they weren't homosexuals. It didn't really matter whether it was A or B as long as they stayed away while Amy did her business.

Martha chuckled at Amy's confused look.

"I said don't worry so don't worry," Martha told her, "Now hurry up and go before Cynth finds what she was looking for."

Hesitantly, Amy nodded her head. What Martha said wasn't making her feel any better. Especially when she laughed before she said it. But when a girl has to go, she has to go. Trying to reason with herself that Martha was just referring to the toilet looking odd or something like that, Amy walked towards the small wall. She ducked as a couple of random objects came close to hitting her head and almost tripped over a towel that hadn't quite made it to the pile of random objects. Amy walked behind Betty, who was still trying to get Cynthia to stop throwing stuff. Neither noticed her and soon Amy stood in front of the small wall and next to the bed she had woken in. Amy walked along the wall till she reached the end of it. She turned to look at Martha, who nodded her head in approval, and then went around the corner.

Well, now Amy knew why Martha said it would be weird using the toilet for the first time. But Amy wished she didn't know. Although some warning was better then none she guessed. You see where Amy was standing there was about two feet of free space in front of her and then the toilet. Now this doesn't seem so bad, until one realizes just how open the area is. It wasn't like a toilet at a restaurant. There were no stalls. Just a toilet and then two feet to the right of the toilet was a sink. This meant that the toilet was wide open to public viewing. All one had to do was look from the right angle at the front of the room and you could clearly see the toilet and whoever was sitting on it doing their business. Talk about having no privacy.

So what should Amy do now? She knew where the toilet was, she had to go, but there was no privacy. Amy's shyness was fighting with her urge to use the toilet. Martha promised no on would look, but there was no guarantee. Plus it was as embarrassing as hell. Her bladder gave a painful reminder that it was full. Quickly Amy made her decision. She would go so fast that she wouldn't have time to think about the consequences. All she had to do was sit on the seat, use the toilet paper that was attached to the wall, and the pull the chain thing she assumed was the handle on the old fashioned toilet. Then the embarrassing part would be over and Amy could focus on other things. As fast as she could Amy finished her business while making sure that no one was looking. The second Amy had her pants rebuckled, she really needed pants that were from her century, she jumped away from the evil contraption.

"_Let's hope I don't have to do that again," _Amy thought while walking over to the sink.

The sink was old fashioned but it was modern enough that Amy was able to recognize what was what. She would have not done well if she had been warped to the Dark Age or when cavemen existed. At least here things were pretty modern. The time period was a little less then a century then where Amy came from but some things looked like they had come directly from Amy's own time. Maybe it was because they had alchemy on this side. That way they were able to make things more efficient. It was only a theory but it explained why there were objects that looked like Amy's back home, but there were no computers. Someone hadn't come up with the idea for one yet.

There were no towels for Amy to dry her hands on so she wiped them on the side of her pants. It didn't really matter to her if her pants got wet, they would dry eventually. Silently Amy made it back her way back to the other side of the room. What should she do now? Her immediate business had been taken care of and Amy doubted that the others would be able to get her food. So she guessed her next task was finding out when she got to eat. What about after that? Well, if the next meal wasn't for a while Amy would have to hang out with her fellow jail mates. That couldn't be so bad though. They had already proven to Amy that they were nice people with good intentions so Amy could spend the time learning about them. Maybe by the end of her time here, Amy would be friends with them. She laughed a bit at that thought. Imagine what her parents would say if they knew what she was doing now.

Amy's heart gave a painful tug and the laugh died as quickly as it had come. She just had to remind herself about her parents, didn't she? Amy had been homesick before. When she was little she started going away to sleep away camp. For the first day or two she would be fine. Then Amy would get a major bout of homesickness and start to cry. It happened every year no matter what. So Amy knew the key to feeling better was to get distracted. To run around or play games, so that her mind wouldn't wander. After her one breakdown Amy wouldn't get homesick again until the next year at camp. Right now, Amy hoped her situation was like that. She had already become homesick and had been comforted. Now all she had to due was keep her mind busy until she forgot about being homesick. That way she could focus entirely on going home and not missing her home.

As Amy neared the front of the cell, she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned to see what it was. A shoe smacked Amy on her arm. Her arm felt a little tingly from the impact, but it didn't really hurt. Amy didn't focus on her arm long though. She saw another object coming at her and quickly hit the deck. The object flew over Amy's head and bounced off a wall, but Amy didn't get up. She noticed that the amount of flying items had increased since she had gone to the bathroom. Amy wondered how she had made it so far across the room without being hit by one. Looking around Amy noticed that Martha and Betty were no longer in the spots Amy had left them. Just how deep in thought had Amy been that she didn't notice this? She had been called oblivious in the past, but this was kind of extreme.

Presently Amy was behind the pile of crud. Cynthia was in front of the pile facing the bunk bed. Which meant that behind Amy was the other bunk bed.

"_Maybe I can hide under there until Cynthia stops chucking stuff across the room,"_ she thought, "_I mean she has to run out of stuff eventually."_

Amy thought this was a good idea. The bunk bed was the only available shelter from the on slot of items. Her other choice would have been behind the small wall but it was unlikely that Amy could get back there without getting hit. Decision made Amy began to slowly back up. She used the same position military men did when they were crawling under wires. Suddenly her foot hit something. It was too soon to have hit the wall, so what did she hit? Before Amy could turn around and see exactly what her foot had come in contact with, she was pulled under. It happened so fast that Amy barely had time to grasp the fact that a hand had grabbed her ankle and pulled her backwards so that her hands slipped out from under her. Once Amy's brain had caught up with these actions, Amy was about to scream. A hand put itself over Amy's mouth before a sound could be let out.

"Sssh," Martha shushed her, "Do you want to be found?"

* * *

(Tigger goes riding by on a bike with Envy, Ed, and Mustang chasing her.)

Tigger: WHEEEEEE! I AM SO DEAD!

Ed: GET BACK HERE!

Tigger: NEVER!

Amy: These chapters get weirder and weirder.

Al: That is true.

Mustang: TIGGER GET BACK HERE!

Tigger: NO WAY!

Amy: I just realized something.

Al: What?

Amy: This is our 20th chapter.

Al: Oh it is.

Amy: And I think Tigger only got weirder.

Al: That is possible.

Envy: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

Tigger: IMAGINATION POWER! (Claps and monkies fall from the ceiling. Monkies attack Ed, Envy, and Mustang) HA I RULE!

Amy and Al: Yep she got weirder.


	21. Pickpocketing Lies and Truths

(Camera starts with Tigger)

Tigger: And I'm back!

(Camera flashes over to Ed and is focusing on his disgruntled face.)

Ed: Don't you get tired to saying that?

(Camera goes back to focusing on Tigger.)

Tigger: Don't you get tired of being tied up and hit with a hammer?

(Camera shows Ed who is tied up so much he looks like a cocoon and is hanging from the ceiling. He also has a large bump on his head.)

Ed: SHUT UP!

(Camera shows Tigger waggling her finger at Ed.)

Tigger: (smiling) Temper, temper, Ed.

(The camera backs up while focusing on Ed.)

Ed: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

(Camers swerves over to Al)

Al: Tigger could you please let my brother go?

(Camera goes back to Tigger but staggers a little bit.)

Tigger: NEVER!

Ed: TIGGER DOES NOT OWN FMA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS ONLY THE OCS THAT APPEAR!

(Camera quickly zooms in on a grinning Ed.)

Tigger: AGH ED! THIS IS WHY I TIED YOU UP!

Ed: IF YOU HADN'T TIED ME UP I WOULDN'T HAVE SAID IT!

Tigger: YES YOU WOULD HAVE YOU JERK!

Ed: CRAZY VIOLENT PERSON!

Tigger: TINY BEAN!

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE CAN ONLY BE SEEN WITH AN ELECTRON MICROSCOPE!

Tigger: YOU! YOU TINY PERSON WHO THINKS AN ANT IS A GIANT!

Ed: DIE!

Tigger: NEVER!

(Camera swivels back and forth at a great speed.)

Voice: I don't feel so well.

(Camers begins to tilt back and forth it's vision begins to slide up the wall and stops at the ceiling. A loud crash is heard.)

Al: Amy are you okay?!

Amy: I will never film anything ever again. Oh my head.

Al: (sweatdrop)

Tigger: Thanks to **lilypop8, Stteph., anime.storm, Shadowess 88, Twilightstorm1993, Fuurai, Ria442, mangafreak0.0, White Wing Alchemist, and Draconian Master** (whom my computer hates and won't let me copy paste) Let's get on with the show.

* * *

"Sssh," Martha shushed her, "Do you want to be found?"

Martha was next on Amy's right and she was the one who put her hand over Amy's mouth. She removed the hand when she saw that Amy was not going to scream.

"I guess great minds think alike," Amy heard Betty chuckle.

Amy looked to her left and spotted Betty. All three of them had had the same idea of hiding under the bed to avoid the projectiles. This made it just the tiniest bit cramped as Amy noted how the bed hadn't been designed to fit three full grown women under it. Since Amy was jammed between the two women it meant she had even less space then the others. She could deal with that, but Amy didn't know for how long. Her legs were bent kind of painfully so that her entire body could fit under the bed and there was an elbow digging into the right side of her rib cage.

"How long till you reckon she stops?" Betty asked.

"She's reaching the end of her pile now," Martha stated, "See there goes the sock puppet. Any minute now she will realize she missed what she was looking for and will then start throwing everything back until she finds what she was looking for."

"Wait, you mean she's done this before?" Amy asked in surprise.

Both women certainly sounded like this had happened before. Was this their usual hiding space whenever this happened?

"It happens every once in a while," Betty told Amy, "Martha, Cynthia, and I have been sharing a cell for almost two years. So we're kind of used to this happening."

Amy felt what seemed like a sweatdrop forming on the back of her head. How could they be so calm about this? Didn't they realize that they could get seriously hurt from this? Ah, but Betty and Martha seemed like they had seen worse. So Amy guessed they preferred flying sock puppets to gun bullets.

"She's reached the end of her pile," Martha pointed out.

Sure enough, the flying objects had stopped whizzing through the air and Amy could spot Cynthia's hair on the other side of the pile.

"This is the part where things go in reverse," Martha explained to Amy.

"Reverse?" Amy was about to question what Martha said when a loud scream interrupted her.

"WHERE IS IT?!" Cynthia's cry echoed throughout the cell.

Then without a moment's pause things started to fly through the air again.

"And this is why you stay hidden," Betty muttered.

"How long will this last?" Amy asked surveying the scene.

"About ten more minutes," Betty answered.

"Although we'll probably have to spend another fifteen minutes in hiding," Martha added.

An awkward silence fell upon the group as they witnessed the event before them. Cynthia was dashing around the room now, picking up objects, looking at them, and then throwing them to a different part of the room. Amy tried to make herself more comfortable by shifting her legs which had begun to fall asleep. Martha stretched her arms out so that they stuck out from under the bed; but she quickly retracted them when her thumb was almost hit by a pot.

"That pot is new," Betty commented.

Amy blanched at how calm Betty and Martha were being over this whole situation. How does someone in a jail cell get all this stuff anyway? Was she stealing them?

"It's been almost two weeks," Martha spoke, "We should gather up some of the stuff and hand it off to the guards tonight."

What were they talking about? Give stuff back? So this stuff was stolen and the guards knew about it. Yet they were letting her steal it? This was confusing. Maybe it would be better if Amy just asked what was going on. She didn't need another headache.

"What are you guys talking about?" Amy asked.

"Guys?" Betty repeated confused, "What does guys mean?"

"_Oops,"_ Amy thought.

She forgot that modern slang did not exist here. Amy would have to be more careful about what she said in the future. Her accent would be suspicious enough. She didn't need to give people anymore reasons to suspect her. One night in jail was enough for her.

"It's a term where I come from," Amy lied, "It means 'you people'."

The other seemed to believe Amy's lie. Damn Colonel Mustang making her lie to ex-gang members. She was going to get him for this. Amy did not like lying and now her entire future would be composed of fibs and faulty truths.

"Where do you come from?" Martha asked in interest.

"Out East," Amy said, "I came on a train this morning."

This was somewhat true. Amy had come from the East. It was the place where she had first come to this world. Plus she had come on a train this morning. Maybe she could mix some truths with fibs. That way she wasn't bluntly lying. Amy would have to talk to Colonel Mustang about her cover story though. During conversations Amy would probably let something slip. It was better if they put as much truth as they could in her story. It would be less likely the cover story would be blown that way. Until then, Amy should try to keep as much info as possible to herself. Whatever she said has to be in the cover story, so it wasn't a good idea to reveal too much about herself. In other words, Amy had to switch the direction this conversation was going.

"But what did you mean that you have to notify the guards?" Amy questioned.

"Cynthia used to be an information specialist in her gang," Martha informed her, "She also used to be a pickpocket before she joined a gang."

"She's really good at finding out who did what," Betty continued the story, "So she knows which criminals stole what from where."

"Cynthia uses her pick pocketing skills to steal them back," Martha added, "Every couple of weeks we put the stolen items back where they belong."

Stealing the stolen? The way Martha put it though, it sounded like the guards had no idea what was going on. But were all these items stolen? Why didn't they just tell the guards? Then again who would believe a bunch of criminals? Especially ones who had a history of pick pocketing? So Cynthia stole these items and gave them back without telling the guards. But why? What would she gain out of it? Humans are selfish. It is in their being, so why would someone with a history of stealing return what someone else stole? It didn't make sense, but then again she didn't know a lot about Cynthia. So far though, Cynthia had been very kind towards Amy. She had comforted Amy and been kind towards her. Maybe she was trying to repent for earlier crimes? Or maybe she had a reason for pick pocketing and joining a gang?

Gah! Too many what ifs and maybes. Whatever happened to staying focused on her goal? Man, this had to be the longest day ever. When would it be over? Hopefully she got some food first though. Learning about gang member's past was not on Amy's list of things to due. Yet, she felt as if maybe she should know more. All of these past criminals were nice people. They were being kind to her and Amy was sort of having fun. Well a weird kind of fun. It was kind of funny that she was hiding under a bed so that she wouldn't be hit with flying objects. It was also kind of funny that she was hiding with two criminals who also did not want to get hit with projectiles. Today just made no sense whatsoever.

Amy sighed. Her body felt kind of cramped and her left leg was tingling. She really wanted food and sleep. For some reason her body was extremely tired, even though she had had two naps. Well they were forced naps but still.

"Bet you're wondering if the guards know about this," Betty pointed out.

Betty seemed like a practical person. Someone who pointed out the facts. A person who thought things through before acting. She seemed like the type to plan out what she was going to do before considering doing it. Yet at the same time she reminded Amy of a mentor of sorts. The way she was yelling at Cynthia before, it was almost like she was scolding her. Betty must have been the kind of person to make sure others followed rules and stuck to the plan. A loud person who stuck to her opinions but was smart and followed common sense. The brainy bossy older sibling was the closest thing that Amy could relate her to. But her comparison made sense in a weird way. Or maybe it was because Amy was a weird person and that was why it made sense to her.

Cynthia was the careless one. She seemed to let her emotions flow right off of her, so that others knew exactly what she was feeling. Although the ability to express her emotions so thoroughly seemed to let Cynthia be able to feel other people's emotions better then most people. She was very optimistic but extremely childish. Her attitude was bright, sunny, and hyper. The way she hugged Amy and then bounced off to go find whatever she was looking for definitely proved Amy's observations. Unlike Betty she seemed to act on the first thing that came to mind and didn't think things through.

Amy was beginning to see a pattern in this group. Of how each individual acted and how that made them react towards each other. Betty was the older sibling. She took care of Cynthia and scolded the hyper women. Cynthia was the young hyper little sibling. She followed her heart and caused lots of trouble, but she was the most sympathetic. Martha was, well she seemed like the leader. She was always watching how the others reacted but never got involved herself. Yet she wasn't a wallflower. It almost seemed like she was waiting for an opportunity. An opportunity for what Amy had no idea. Martha was a mystery to Amy. It was almost like she was guarding herself, like she was trying to keep Amy from finding out what kind of person she was. But why would she do that? Did she not trust Amy?

That made sense. The entire time Amy had been in the cell she was more concerned with herself. About how she didn't trust the others in the cell, but not once had Amy considered their point of view. They didn't trust Amy either. All they knew that Amy was some girl who came into jail out cold. For all they knew Amy could have been a serial killer or mass murderer. Why should they trust Amy? It was the same reason Amy didn't trust them. They didn't know each other. All they knew was that the other party was in jail. Maybe, maybe Amy could tell them some more about herself. Not about her past for fear of botching up her cover story, but she could tell them why she was here. Amy wanted to be friends with these people. It was kind of weird, but Amy never decided when she wanted to become friends with people. Usually it just happened. She had a way of clicking with people. Once she got over her shyness, Amy made friends kind of easily. Well, she wasn't acting shy now so it was time to make friends, right? These women were good people. Amy could tell and she wanted to get to know them better. She wanted to become friends with them. Just like how she wanted to become friends with Ed and Al. Someone to bond with, to tell fears to, to trust. Amy couldn't go through this mission alone, she knew that.

"No, I'm not wondering," Amy answered Betty's comment, "It's obvious they don't know. It's also obvious why you didn't tell them. I mean, who would trust a criminal, right?"

Betty chuckled, "Smart kid."

Amy blushed at the comment.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"You never told us why you were here," Martha pointed out.

"I accidentally came across Scar when I got off my train," Amy explained, "The military had to save me and they wanted to keep me for questioning."

Amy assumed that part of the story was okay to tell. It was her cover story for being here, so she might as well spread the word. Besides the first part of her statement was true.

"In other words, they don't trust you," Betty said.

"Uhmm..I don't think that's it," Amy stammered nervously.

The military trusted her, right? That was the point of her being here. So that she would be safe why they thought of a cover story for her. Then they were going to let her travel with the Elrics. Mustang wouldn't have lied to her, right? Well, he could have, but why would he? She was just an innocent girl who knew way too much. They wouldn't lock her in jail. Hadn't she already proved she wasn't a spy. Al trusted her. No way they were all acting. There was no way that everybody was actually against her and that they planned to keep her in jail until she admitted why she was really here and how she knew that stuff. Amy had already told them. But what if it was really an act? What if they did plan to keep her down here for years on end? Or what if they were trying to figure out some way to shut her up permanently so that she wouldn't blab their secrets? Amy wouldn't tell anyone the Elrics' secret. She wasn't that kind of person. Besides what would she gain from it? Some homunculi coming after her, that's what she would gain. They weren't the kind of people. Amy knew they weren't that kind of people. But still…

Her heart was racing as Amy panicked. She couldn't stay in jail! She had to get home. To her mom and dad. To her siblings. To her friends. She had to finish high school and then she was going to go to college. Amy had her entire future planned out and warpping to another dimension wasn't in her plans.

"_Oh man oh man oh man oh man,"_ she panicked, "_No way would they leave me here. I know them. They wouldn't. But they would. I know Mustang's tricks. Oh man, I swear to God if someone tricked them oh God help them when I get a hold of them."_

Betty and Martha watched as the kid inbetween them began to panic. She turned a pale color and was breathing shallowly.

"They wouldn't, they wouldn't," she kept muttering.

But it was clear that the girl didn't believe her own words. She had really trusted the military. They must have told her that she had to only stay overnight so they could question her and the girl had trusted them. Well it was painfully obvious that she wasn't a criminal now. No way would someone who broke the law would trust the government so easily. Poor kid. Must be having the worst kind of day. Met with Scar, got taken to jail, passed out somewhere along the line, and then woke up in a jail of criminals. Now Betty and Martha weren't really scary people. But they could understand how one would interpret the situation the girl woke up in. A new place with people who broke the law, would scare any child who wasn't familiar with the world. Amy must have been heading out on her own when all this happened. Her first time being away from her family, she must have had an apprenticeship with someone in Eastern. That breakdown earlier was probably due to homesickness and being in a scary new place.

"You know Betty was joking, right kid?" Martha asked the girl who had gone from pale to white.

The girl looked at Martha with wide eyes. Yeah she was definitely panicking and too trustworthy for her own good.

"If the military said they let you out tomorrow they're going to let you out tomorrow," Martha said trying to comfort the girl, "Besides how would it help them to keep a runt like you here."

The girl visibly relaxed as she took that in. Her body became less tense and her skin color returned to normal.

Amy processed what Martha said. What would the military gain from keeping her here? If Ed and Al didn't believe what she said, there was no way they would let her run loose even in a jail. They would keep her close. Didn't the expression go "Keep your friends close but your enemies closer"? If Mustang and his gang didn't trust her they would keep her under a watchful eye. It wasn't a guarantee that they didn't trust her either. Al seemed to believe her and even Ed had to admit her story was too well told to be a fake. Besides if they didn't believe her now, Amy would make them believe her. She trusted Riza and Al, and there was no way they would let her rot in jail.

"I say we let her rot in jail," Ed commented while leaning backwards in his chair so it stood on two legs instead of four.

"Brother, that's mean," Al objected, "She's just a girl."

"I don't care what she is she still knows too much," Ed huffed.

Ed and Al were back at their apartment. Al was sitting in his box which was on his bed while Ed was sitting in front of the desk. After the girl had left Mustang's office, everyone had returned to cleaning up the room. Once that was done the Elric brothers were told they could leave. However, due to their situation, Armstrong had to help them. It took all of Ed's patience not to hit the man when he threw Ed over his shoulder, scooped up Al, and then yelled something about how helping people was in the Armstrong genes before bounding off in the wrong direction. After they had been dropped off in their hotel rooms, Ed had slammed the door in Armstrong's face, and stalked over to the desk. It had been quiet for a few minutes until Al brought up the subject of Amy.

"I don't want some girl who knows everything about us to come with us," Ed stated.

"Brother, give her a chance," Al tried to persuade his older brother, "She's a nice person and all she wants to do is go home."

"That's it though," Ed growled, "Her story is ridiculous. Coming from another world, falling from the sky, being rescued by a senile old lady, tell me that doesn't sound suspicious?"

"Amy's story is very unbelievable, but I think she is telling the truth," Al tried to find the correct words, "It's obvious she isn't much of a liar and I think the story is too detailed to be false. Besides she had a letter and Mustang seemed to know the person who sent it."

"There's no proof. How do we know she isn't some sort of spy? What if she works for someone who wants the Philosopher's stone? What if she snuck into the records and found out about our past?"

"Brother, we went over this in Colonel Mustang's office. Amy knew too much. She knew more then what was put in any file. She knew about our childhood. She even knew what was going to happen next. Even if she was the best spy in the world, even if she was spying at us since she was seven, there is no scientific way she could predict what we planned to do next."

Ed let his chair fall forward and rested his head in his hand.

"I know Al, I know. But still," he said not lifting is eyes up, "Her story is so outrageous. Us being a book? Another universe? If I hadn't seen my share of crazy things already I would think she is out of her mind."

"It is hard to believe her story, brother, but our story is hard to believe too," Al said in a calm voice.

"I know Al," Ed sighed before he got up and walked over to his bed.

He sat down across from Al and looked at Al's head which was peaking over the edge of the box.

"What now?" he asked.

"I think we should trust her," Al offered, "She hasn't given us reason not to and she's willing to help us. Besides she must be lonely, being so far away from her family and friends. I mean at least we have Winry and Aunt Pinako. She has no one."

"We lost our family too, Al. We lost a lot more then her. You have no body," Ed pointed out.

"I'm aware of our situation brother, but we shouldn't compare our life to hers. Everyone goes through different things in their life. We're all raised differently and take life in different ways. What might be heartbreaking to one person could be something simple to someone else. We shouldn't compare our pain to hers because we're not the same people. We're a lot tougher then Amy is, but Amy is more emotional then us."

"I know Al, but I don't think it's fair to cast off our pain like that. To pretend that you didn't suffer. You went through so much," Ed clenched his remaining hand.

Al's look softened.

"I'm not saying that we haven't suffered brother, but I'm not saying Amy hasn't suffered either. Besides Amy doesn't seem like the type to cast off other's pain."

"How would you know? You only spoke to her for a few minutes."

"Amy is a very open person. She can't really hide what's going on inside her head. If you talked to her you would know that brother."

"Still. I refuse to pretend that you haven't suffered. I'm not going to pretend you haven't felt pain," Ed proclaimed.

"Thank you brother," Al said looking sincerely at his older sibling, "I know that you won't."

There was a pause after this statement as both siblings pondered their conversation. Ed sighed and looked at his hand.

"So we're going to Winry's tomorrow," Ed broke the heavy silence.

"It will be nice to see her," Al noted.

"Yeah it will," Ed remarked lying down on his bed.

There was another pause.

"She's going to kill me isn't she?" Ed voiced.

"Well this is the first time you blew up her automail…"

"I'm a dead man."

* * *

Ed: I am so dead.

Al: It's a good thing Winry doesn't read this.

(Winry appears behind them with a dark aurora)

Winry: I just happened to be visiting.

Ed: Winry!

Winry: Ed you broke my automail...MY PRECIOUS AUTOMAIL!

Ed: AHHHHH

(Al covers Amy's eyes while Tigger looks on in awe.)

Winry: (wipes hands off) Tigger it's good to see you again.

(Al uncovers Amy's eyes and she sees Ed who is a bloody pulp on the ground.)

Amy: Poor Ed even Tigger doesn't go this far.

Al: Brother is used to it.

Amy: So he is whipped.

Al: What?

Amy: Nothing. Thanks for reading this chapter and don't forget to review.

Ed: Help me...


	22. Goofing Off Has Weird Results

Tigger: I AM SO SORRY!! IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED!!

Ed: Not long enough.

Tigger: (glares at Ed before continuing her speech) I plan to change my updating days to Fridays so I was going to update yesterday. But something came up and delayed me until...well right now.

Ed: Pathetic.

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! (holds up hammer to smack Ed but then pauses) Wait that line sounds familiar.

Amy: It does... (both look thoughtful)

Amy and Tigger: IT SOUNDS LIKE SASUKE!

Ed: WHAT?!

Tigger: GAH NO! IT BURNS! (throws hammer at Ed's head and knocks him over)

Ed: WHAT THE HELL?!

Amy: NOOOO!! NO MORE!

Envy: Who the hell are you accusing the pipsqueak of being?

(There is a pause as everyone turns to look at Envy)

Tigger: WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?

Amy: I HAVE SUCH BAD LUCK!

Tigger: You really do.

Amy: And who's fault is that?

Tigger: Batman's.

Amy: How is Batman at fault for this?!

Tigger: You have bad luck cause I have bad luck and my bad luck is a curse from God aka Batman.

Al: Who is Batman?

Tigger: Guy who runs around dressed like an overgrown bat and defeats mentally unstable people who have access to bombs.

Ed: So a freak?

Tigger: (Hits Ed with a hammer) BATMAN IS AWESOME! Now Envy on the other hand..

Envy: HEY!

Amy: Is for horses.

(Pause while everyone stares at Amy)

Amy: uhhh (turns red in embarrasment) I'm going to go get Al! (runs off)

Tigger: I was wondering where Al was.

Envy: You're all crazy.

Tigger: And you have green armpit hair!

(Awkward silence)

* * *

Tigger: WAIT I DIDN'T SAY THE CHAPTER COULD START YET! I DIDN'T THANK MY REVIEWERS AND DO THE DISCLAIMER SAYING I DO NOT OWN FMA OR ANY OF IT'S CHARACTERS! I ONLY OWN THE OCS THAT APPEAR IN THIS FANFIC ONLY! OR EXPLAIN WHY EVERYTHING IS IN CENTIMETERS AND KILOS BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT EVERYBODY IN FMA WOULD USE THE METRIC SYSTEM AND ONLY AMY WOULD USE THE USCU SYSTEM BECAUSE SHE IS FROM AMERICA!

* * *

Mustang cast another glance at his watch. A half past five it read. No wait, five thirty-one. His officers were bustling around and putting papers back in order. It would be a good week before any real work could get done, not that Mustang minded. However there would be a lot of paper work to explain the lateness of all the original paper work. That Mustang did mind. Another glance at his watch. Five thirty-two. Time always seemed to elongate when Mustang was looking forward to something. For instance, when he was hurrying to get out of the office or when Mustang was waiting for a hot date. It was at times like those where he wished there was some sort of alchemy to control time. Maybe he should consider doing research about time alchemy. Mustang rumpled his hair. No, too much effort and paperwork. He would just wait until someone else discovered it. Then he could get all the benefits without the hard work. Speaking of hard work…

"Which one of you is working on the cover story for that klutzy girl?" Mustang asked.

There was no response. Roy opened his eyes, which had previously been close as to block the annoying sunlight which entered the room through the windows. All of his subordinates were glaring at him. Well, everyone except for Fuery and Armstrong. Why was that man still here anyway? He wasn't under Mustang's command. Oh well, more people to do the paperwork. Hughes was long gone by now. He had said something about calling his darling wife and angel daughter before rushing off.

"_The phone bills are going to go through the roof,"_ Mustang thought.

"Come on, one of you has to do that story," Mustang explained, "We can't give her citizenship if she doesn't have a background. Someone has to do the citizenship papers too."

More glaring. Mustang sighed. Someone had to do the paperwork. He understood that his coworkers were extremely busy and that that girl (Amy right?) had set them all behind schedule, but still. This job needed to be done and it took top priority. They would just have to suffer through that.

"Why don't you do it sir?" Breda asked while casting him an I-dare-you-to look.

"Well, I would," Mustang began, "But I have my date soon and I need to get ready. Not to mention it's been a long day and I need a rest. A little down time, you know? That's why I figured one of you could just wrap up the story real fast before you leave for the day. Then I'll just sign it and make it official tomorrow morning."

Mustang finished his speech with a yawn, which he graciously covered with his hand. When he looked up he saw fellow officers casting him looks of disbelief.

"What?" he asked them while trying to squash another yawn.

"Nothing sir," Breda stated sarcastically, "I just wasn't aware that sitting on your bum and watching others work tired people out?"

Mustang growled, "Watch what you say Heymens, I can file you for refusing to obey your superior officers."

"Sir, I believe what he means is that since you seem to have plenty of free time maybe you should file the report about Amy."

Mustang looked at the speaker. It was Riza but she had her back turned to him and was busy filing away papers. The actual sentence didn't seem harmful but Riza's tone certainly applied harm would come if Mustang didn't do as she said. Sometimes Mustang wondered which one of them was actually the superior officer.

"Well, I suppose I could do it," Mustang spoke as if Riza's threat hadn't caused all of the bones in his body to tense up in fear, "The girl's name was Amy, right?"

"Amy Kishi," Falman listed off facts, "Height about 161 centimeters". Weight looks to be about 49 kilograms. Skin color is white. Hair is short dirty blond. Eyes are blue. Age 15. Gender female."

The others gave Falman weird glances as he stood erect after finishing his little speech.

Mustang gave a little cough to clear his throat and break the silence.

"Thanks Falman, but I do believe you are off on a few points."

"You can get better facts then Falman? I doubt it," Breda said, leaning against the back of his chair.

"I don't know," Fuery mumbled, "Falman was pretty accurate, but I think she was around 167 centimeters."

"I think that is a better guess," Breda said, "Which would explain why she has such a small chest. Must have gone through a growth spurt recently."

"No, I'm pretty sure she was closer to 164 centimeters"," Havoc said thoughtfully.

"You are all wrong," Armstrong boomed, "She is such a small thing. Must be about 150 centimeters."

"Armstrong she isn't that short," Breda pointed out, "You're just a giant so everyone seems smaller."

"We Armstrongs' have big bones," Armstrong boasted, "It has been a trait in my family for generations!"

Armstrong stood up to his full height to prove his point while sparkles surrounded his body.

Mustang gave a small smirk before launching into his suggestion, "Amy is a little more then 164 centimeters". Her eyes are a deep blue. She weighs around 52 kilograms and her cup size is A 32."'

Roy looked a little smug at the end of his announcement. His facts were definitely precise.

"You could tell her chest size underneath all her clothes, but you couldn't remember her name?" Fuery asked in disbelief.

"Wow, that's amazing sir. How do you do that?" Havoc shouted while throwing himself at the feet of Mustang's desk.

"It's just a talent," Mustang laughed while basking in Havoc's praise.

"Colonel," Riza's ice-cold tone brought Mustang's goofing off to a halting screech, "You will need more then stats about Amy to make a file, not to mention a citizenship folder. May I suggest that someone goes and interviews her. That way we don't have her talking about her family when her folder says she is an orphan."

"Yes, that's a good idea. Havoc go interview Amy," Mustang commanded.

"Yes, sir." Havoc stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Colonel wouldn't it make more sense for you to interview Amy since you will be making her folder and citizenship file?" Riza questioned Mustang's orders.

Mustang froze. She was on to him.

"Yes it would, but it would also seem out of place for a high-ranking officer, such as myself, to interview one small girl," Mustang listed his excuse.

"She was at the Scar incident and the Scar case is under your jurisdiction. The higher-ups at Central will be expecting for you to inspect every inch of this case. Scar is a big threat to the military and civilian order," Riza stated.

"They will also be expecting me to have complete control over my soldiers and to show my authority."

"Uh…Colonel, First Lieutenant," Fuery timidly tried to interrupt.

"They will also expect for you to show them your skill as a fellow officer and it will provide a great example for your subordinates," Riza argued.

"They will want to see my skills as a leader, not a follower."

"Sir," Fuery tried again, "Colonel."

"The higher-ups will wonder what happened to all the paperwork that is due."

"Colonel!"

"I will just blame the incompetence of my coworkers."

"And that will prove what?"

"Colonel!"

"It will prove.."

"Hey Colonel, First Lieutenant," Havoc interrupted, "You do realize that Armstrong already left to go complete the interview, right?"

Mustang and Riza looked at each other and then at the door. Fuery let out a sigh of relief that his message had been given and Falman and Breda continued to work.

"Thank you for telling us Havoc," Riza said regaining her work posture.

"Well done, Havoc," Mustang congratulated him.

Riza shot Mustang a dirty look. Havoc saw the look from the corner of his eye.

"You know sir, I don't think it's a good idea to have Armstrong perform the interview," Havoc stated, "Maybe you should help him."

"That is a most excellent idea Havoc," Mustang replied, glad to have an excuse to get away from Riza, "I will join him right away."

Before anyone could raise any objection, Mustang had disappeared into the hallway.

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"Hold still," Cynthia commanded.

Amy fidgeted. Whenever someone told her to stay still she had to move. It was like when she tried to make her breathing quieter so that no one would hear her. When Amy tried to do that, she found it impossible. It was one of those tasks that she did without thought normally, but the minute someone brought it up she had to concentrate very hard on. For instance at home Amy had a daily morning routine, every day she would wake up and complete this routine without a second thought, it was automatic to her; however, if Amy stopped to think about what she was doing she would become confused and would have to focus very hard just to finish her morning tasks. That was just how Amy worked though.

"I said hold still," Cynthia ordered sternly.

"Every time you tell me to hold still I have to move," Amy complained while moving her legs around.

She was sitting on top of a high stool while Cynthia buzzed around her, cutting her hair. After Cynthia had cleaned up all her junk, she had come bounding over to the bed and dragged Amy out from under it. Then she had told Amy to stand still and hold out her arms. Cynthia had spent the next couple of minutes measuring Amy from head to toe before pushing her onto Amy's bed; at least Amy assumed it was her bed, and telling her to stay there. Betty and Martha had kept Amy occupied while Cynthia twittered around the room. Martha had given Amy a small black pouch. She explained that every person in the jail was given one of these when they first came here. It held the necessities such as a toothbrush, a hairbrush, some razors, some mini bottles of shampoo and conditioner, and what looked like cotton underwear.

Amy had been a bit puzzled about the underwear. Why would they put it with the toiletries? Why not with the clothes they gave their prisoners? The prisoners had to have more then one outfit, so why not with the clothes? Then it clicked. Amy wanted to hit herself for being so stupid. Those were for her menstrual cycle. They didn't always have pads or tampons, so they had to use something before they were invented. Actually Amy had been wondering about that, women had to have had their periods in the past so Amy wondered what they did to keep the blood from ruining their clothes. She wasn't sure about the ancient Egyptians, but Amy knew what they used in the 1900s now. It was padded underwear; it would absorb her blood without running her pants. A built in pad basically.

These thoughts had made Amy paused. She hadn't really thought about it that much, but exactly how long was she going to be here? Amy hadn't planned on being here for months on end, but she may end up being here. So she needed these. What would happen if Amy never found a way home? What if she spent years searching and she never got the chance? What would she do then? Should she move on? Have a family here? Get a job and settle down? Would she just give up?

"_No! I can't think like that!"_ Amy yelled at herself, "_I haven't even started my quest yet and I'm already thinking about quitting. Besides Ed and Al won't give up. They won't ever stop looking for a way. They've already been at it for three years and there spirits aren't down."_

This thought had comforted Amy. If Ed and Al could do it, Amy could do it too. They were her heroes in a weird way, and Amy didn't want to fall short on them. She wouldn't be a burden. If they wouldn't give up, she wouldn't give up.

"Don't move," Cynthia whined pulling at another lock of Amy's hair.

"Stop pulling my hair," Amy whined back.

"Both of you stop acting like kids," Betty yelled, "You've been bickering since Cynthia started cutting Amy's hair."

"I am a kid," Cynthia announced proudly.

"You're nineteen," Martha pointed out, "That's hardly a kid's age."

"Yeah, well you're twenty-one. What do you have to say about that?" Cynthia retorted.

"That I really should have done something worthwhile with my life by now," Martha answered calmly.

"That's not what I meant!" Cynthia shouted exasperated, "You're supposed to get angry or yell at me or something!"

"That's Betty's job," Martha replied.

"Stop being so calm!"

Amy looked from Martha to Cynthia. She was trying to figure out their relationship. Once Cynthia had finished twittering around, she had tossed Amy some clothes and told her to change into them. Amy had wanted to refuse, but Cynthia had looked so happy giving her the clothes, that she couldn't. So Amy had ducked behind the wall and changed. It was a pair of capris that looked to be made out of the same material as the jeans back in her world and a white tee-shirt. The shirt had actually fit her and on the front was a blue cloud. All Amy could think of was the irony of the shirt when she had put it on. When Amy had emerged from behind the wall, Cynthia had crushed her in another hug while exclaiming how cute she was. Then she decided that Amy's hair was too boyish and decided to give her a haircut. Which is how Amy ended up in her current position. Her original pair of clothes were folded on her bed with her hat on top of it. Martha and Betty sat on the bed as well and were watching the scene unfold.

"Shut up! You're distracting me," Cynthia huffed before turning back to Amy.

Amy sighed and watched as more tuffs of her nice hair landed on the floor. Just how much was the women going to cut? Her hair was already pretty short. She didn't want to go bald.

Cynthia hummed a little tune while she worked on Amy's hair. The minutes ticked by and Amy's stomach growled. Amy placed a hand on her stomach as if to quiet it. She was used to it growling. Between hiding under the bed and changing outfits for the fourth time in two days, Amy had discovered that she missed lunch and would have to wait until dinner before she could eat. Dinner was at seven and Betty was able to tell by the guard shifts that it was between five and six. Which meant Amy got to eat soon. Yeah!

"_Wonder what kind of food they have here?"_ she thought, "_Well since Ametris is based off Germany, they'll probably have food like they do in Germany."_

Amy paused as she tried to think of German food.

"_I kind of wish I took German instead of French now,"_ Amy regretted her choice in languages but brightened up when she remembered something else,_ "Well, I know from history class that they ate a lot of bread. I remember how after World War I the economy had been so bad you needed a barrel of money for one loaf of bread."_

Great, now Amy knew she could eat bread. Joy. It was a good thing Amy had gone to sleep away camp during past summers. If it was one thing she learned at camp where all the meals were prepared for you and that was the only food you got, it was don't be a picky eater. Amy had even developed a skill in which she had learned to eat food but not taste it. A necessity at camp, but Amy hadn't thought she would ever need that skill outside of it.

"There I'm done," Cynthia said cheerfully.

"I'm afraid to look," Amy admitted much to amusement of Betty and Martha.

"You know I liked you better when you were too shy to talk," Cynthia told Amy, annoyed that Amy had so little belief in her hair cutting skills.

"I liked it better when you weren't holding sharp pointy objects to my head," Amy mumbled.

This comment earned her a sharp tug on her hair.

"Ouch," she yelped and held her skull.

It was true though, Amy was beginning to open up to the others in her cell. She felt more at peace with them. Amy didn't really care what most people thought of her, but she liked to have at least one ally before she revealed her true self.

Suddenly there was some banging on the door. Everyone in the room turned to look at it as the banging continued. Amy felt her stomach drop. Why was she feeling such a sense of dread? It wasn't like Scar was behind that door, right? Scar couldn't be in jail. It was probably just one of the guards who couldn't get the door open. Amy thought this was a perfectly reasonable explanation. So why did she still feel so unnerved?

"MS. KISHI I HAVE COME TO INTERVIEW YOU!" a loud masculine voice boomed as the door swung open.

Armstrong stood in the doorway, which just barely fit his large form, as the metal door banged into the wall loudly. Amy felt the rest of her internal organs fall through the floor as her heart picked up its pace. She knew it was unreasonable and she had no real reason to be, but she was now slightly afraid of Armstrong. Maybe it was because she had been hugged by him one too many times. The surprise of Armstrong's entrance and Amy's slight fear of the man, kept her frozen in her seat. Armstrong bounded over to Amy's frozen place and plucked her from her seat. He placed her under one of his strong arms, as if she was a basket or some sort of luggage instead of a human being and leaped over to the door way.

"GOOD DAY LADIES!" Armstrong bellowed a good-bye to them, "PLEASE CONTINUE ON THE PATH TO GOODNESS AND REPENT YOUR PAST SINS!"

With that the nearly bald man slammed the door shut and began walking down the hallway.

* * *

Tigger: (is refusing to speak)

Envy: What's wrong with her pipsqueak?

Ed: I AM NOT TINY YOU GIANT SIZED JACKASS!

Envy: (smirks) Pipsqueak!

Ed: I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

(The two break out into a dust-ball fight and Amy and Al walk in.)

Amy: Hey guys we're back. Al got stuck in the door again and...(looks around) what's going on?

Al: I think we missed the chapter.

Amy: That explains so much.

(Silence as Amy and Al watch Ed and Envy fight.)

Tigger: DON'T IGNORE ME!

Amy: You're talking now?

Tigger: I was rebelling against the lines. It never let me thank **WhiteWingAlchemist, anime.storm, FreeCream, Arden Anam, lilypop8, Shadowess 88, Twilightstorm1993, Draconian Master, Ria442, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, Lulu4ever, and Stteph.** for reviewing and favoriting. (pause) YEAH I JUST DID IT! TAKE THAT LINE!

* * *

Amy: That line just hates you doesn't it?

Tigger: I think it does. Anyway folks read the next update and which we get to see what happened to Amy after she got kidnapped by Major Hugsalot.

Al: Shouldn't we break up brother and Envy before we end this.

Amy and Tigger: Nah!


	23. When Major Hugsalot Attacks

Tigger: And I'm back with a super long chapter!

Amy: It's ten and a fourth pages long.

Tigger: In other words TIS SUPER LONG!

Ed: (sarcastically) Wahoo!

Al: Brother, be nice Tigger worked hard on this chapter.

Tigger: Exactly! Thank you Al! Anyway this is the last chapter with Amy in jail.

Amy: YES!

Tigger: Out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Amy: -- thanks

Tigger: Moving on I want to thank Shadowess 88, anime.storm, Arden Anam, Stteph., FreeCream, lilypop8, The Sun Deity, XxXLoveless-NinjaXxX, HeeHeeHee01, Twilightstorm1993, XxKonohaSweetheartxX, and The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist for reviewing and favoriting.

Ed: (reading a book) Tigger does not nor will ever own FullMetal Alchemist or any of its characters.

Tigger: (pushes buttons and Ed disappers)

Al: Brother!

Amy: Tigger what did you do to him?!

Tigger: I sent him to the next chapter, so now he can't bother me the rest of the chapter.

Amy: How did you do that?

Tigger: I SHALL NEVER TELL! (runs off)

Amy: I will never understand that girl.

* * *

Amy almost felt like crying when Armstrong led her away from the cell. This was so stupid! Armstrong was so stupid! Why did he keep shouting everything? How the hell did he become so big? Someone please save her from the crazy blond man!

Armstrong did not notice Amy's frozen state or her internal thoughts as he walked happily down the hallway. He led Amy past many cells that looked exactly like the ones she had come out of. The jail was made of stone and reminded Amy of a castle dungeon. The country wasn't that old, did the Furher have some obsession with stone dungeons? Or maybe it was just cheaper. Amy would probably never find out.

Major Hugsalot took a right at the end of one of the hallways and bounded up a flight of stairs in record time. Amy felt slightly dizzy. Did this count as airsickness since she was technically not touching the ground? On this floor the stone walls were painted white, although it was still obvious the walls were made of stone, and the doors were made out of wood. The offices for the jail must have been on this floor. Armstrong stopped in front of a random door and went through.

The room was plain with tan walls and an unpainted stone floor. A table stood in the center in the room with a chair at two opposite sides. Armstrong plopped Amy down in one of the chairs and sat down in the one on the opposite side of the table. The chair was bolted to the floor and had chains on the arms and legs. Over the table was one lone lamp which lit the small room rather well considering its size.

Amy felt herself go limp in her seat. She did not want to be here. She did not want to be here. She would rather be in her cell with the ex-gang members, at least when Cynthia hugged her there wasn't a chance of her ribs breaking. Why couldn't someone else interview her? Someone that would let her walk up the stairs and not carry her. Someone who had fewer muscles to squish her with or show off.

Armstrong stared at Amy intensely, which made her squirm uncomfortably in her seat. It looked as if he was trying to see the answer on her; like it was written on her forehead and he couldn't make out the words. Okay that was a horrible analogy, but still that's what it felt like. Maybe Armstrong was trying to play Good Cop, Bad Cop. That's what they did in the detective shows Amy watched back home. However, Amy doubted Armstrong would be able to pull something like that off.

"So," Armstrong began in a low serious tone.

Amy froze. Maybe Armstrong was capable of pulling it off.

"Does your family have wonderful traits like we Armstrongs' have?!" Armstrong asked loudly and happily.

Then again maybe not.

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Mustang walked down the halls of the East City's jail. Where did that man head off to now? Roy ran his hand through his hair as a sign of frustration. That man could move. Roy had talked to all the guards leading from his office to the jail cell and all of them said the same thing. That Major Armstrong had run by at top speed. Except for the last guard who said that Armstrong borrowed his keys to the girl's cell and had probably taken her to one of the investigation rooms. However the guard did not know which of the seventeen interrogation rooms the Major had headed off to. So Mustang had had to stop by the cell to ask if the others in Amy's cell knew where Major Armstrong was headed. When he unlocked the door Mustang was surrounded by three women who kept asking barraged him with questions in some sort of frenzy. It took a good five minutes before Mustang could calm them down and assure them that the man who had kidnapped 'AA', as the one with pink stripes called her, was really a military officer and that he was just performing the standard interrogation. Once they were all assured that Amy was not in danger they told Mustang that Major Armstrong had gone towards the left. Mustang thanked them and left the cell.

Which was how he got in his current situation. Judging on what the women in the cell had said and the layout of the cell, Mustang figured out that Armstrong had to be in this hallway. Now which door was he behind? Normally Mustang would have listened for the sound of Armstrong's booming voice, but these rooms were soundproof so that idea was out.

"_Guess I'll just have to start opening doors,"_ Mustang thought tiredly, "_This girl creates too much work."_

But this girl was certainly interesting. Mustang had never run across a case like this before. Alternative dimensions, his world being a series of books, and the Gate appearing in a room of a girl who had never done alchemy in her life. There were too many missing puzzle pieces. Why was she here? What had she been exchanged for? What was going on in her world after she left? And Mustang had the suspicion that she was hiding something. Did she know what was going to happen next? It was very possible that she had lied to them, but the girl was too emotional to be that good of a liar. He would have to figure all of that out later. Right now, he needed to create a fake citizen paper. Faking the life of a person who supposedly didn't even exist in this world, that would be a hard one. But Mustang had the feeling his subordinates were up to the challenge. Mustang didn't just pick any person to be on his team. He picked people who were trustworthy, loyal, and could contribute something. Roy needed good backup if he was going to become Fuhrer one day.

Mustang stopped in front of one the doors and cupped a hand to his ear to listen. Nothing. He moved onto the next door and repeated this action. Nothing again. Roy sighed and continued to do this action until he reached the sixth door down on the left side. Once again this time he cupped his hand to his ear and listened. This time he heard the proud boasting of one of his fellow officers. Letting a small smirk grace his lips at his accomplishment, Mustang grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

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"And that is how we Armstrongs came to open some of the most beautiful flower shops in the world!" Armstrong boasted while making exaggerated movements with his hands.

Amy nodded as her answer. Her limps felt like jelly and her butt had fallen asleep, which is very uncomfortable by the way. The entire time Armstrong had been babbling on about his family and how wonderful they were. Amy swore her brain had turned to mush and was leaking out of her ear. He talked about his childhood pets, his wonderful siblings, his mother and father; Armstrong had even gone into describing what each room in his house looked like down to the last dust particle on the windowsill. The only words Amy had said were to answer his question in the beginning. Her response had been, "Well there is a lot of us." With that said Major Hugsalot had launched into one speech after another, Amy wondered how he managed to breathe between all that talking. Actually Amy really hadn't been listening that well. After the first couple of minutes her brain had began to interrupt Armstrong's talk into babble, so what Amy heard was something like this: "Armstrongs are proud blah blah blah and I had two dogs blah blah blah dogs are noble creatures blah blah blah brag Armstrong more bragging blah blah blah Armstrong blah blah blah he's still talking blah blah blah."

At this point Amy was beginning to think that Barry the Chopper wasn't so bad. At least he would have stopped talking by now. Hell, she would even take her chances with Hughes then she would get to see some pictures of his family instead of staring at the shining head of Armstrong. What was with that one blond curl anyway? Was he only capable of growing hair in that one spot? Or was this some sort of style she wasn't aware of?

"Now I shall tell you about how I became a Major?" Armstrong asked, although he didn't wait for an answer, "You see it all began when…."

"_Someone please save me!"_ Amy begged, "_Jail break, riot, anything that will get me out of here! Come on I'll even wear a dress if you can get me out of here!"_

Amy could feel the despair leaking into her soul. No, she had to stay positive! Maybe Armstrong would lose his voice! Oh, that would be the day. What if Amy took a nap instead? Would he even notice? Amy cast a glance at the giant man, she doubted it.

"And there I was thinking," Armstrong continued ignorant to Amy's wishes for him to stop talking.

"_Please God, Allah, Bhudda, some religious figure with supernatural powers,"_ Amy pleaded with the ceiling, "_Will one of you please save me?"_

It was as if Amy's prayers had been answered…sort of. Instead of being able to escape the room (which she was seriously considering making a run for it) someone came into the room. Normally, Amy would have been mad at the smirking, black haired, grey eyed man who entered; but under the circumstances, Amy was practically jumping for joy.

"Major Armstrong," Mustang greeted the man with a salute, "Amy."

Armstrong saluted to his superior officer while Amy was torn between hugging the man or yelling at him. Hugging him because he saved her from Armstrong's speech. Yelling at him because it was his fault she was here in the first place. Amy settled for waving at him. Mustang raised an eyebrow at Amy's response but said nothing. Amy felt her anger rise a little bit. What was he expecting for her to bow down and kiss his feet? Or to thank him for saving her? He did realize that she was still angry with him, right? Even if she was shy around new people that didn't stop Amy from acting out against those she was angry with.

"How's the interrogation coming along?" Mustang asked, faking innocence.

"_Stupid son of a female dog,"_ Amy inwardly growled, "_He knows how this is going."_

"Did you do something to your hair?" Mustang questioned looking at Amy.

Automatically Amy raised her hands to her hair. Oh wait, Cynthia cut her hair. Amy hadn't got a chance to examine her new hair style yet, she wondered how it looked.

"It looks good on you," Mustang complimented.

Amy felt her face turn red at the compliment. Was with people and embarrassing her? Her face would probably be permanently stained red after this. Wait a second, wasn't Mustang twenty-eight? So him complimenting a girl who was a little over half his age was a tiny bit weird, no? Amy's blush vanished at that thought. Mustang was a player and he had a lot of one night stands which meant he could be flirting. However Mustang could just be being sincere and giving her a compliment. There was no reason he couldn't tell Amy she looked nice. It didn't mean he had alternative motives, he could just be being truthful. It might just seem weird to Amy because the only people who were adults and gave her compliments were relatives and mentors. Mustang was neither of those and that's what made Amy hesitant. Although Mustang could be her boss pretty soon.

Amy cringed, "_I just had to remind myself didn't I?"_

"Let's get this interrogation started," Mustang said while cracking his knuckles, "Major what have you asked her so far?"

"I asked her whether her family had any special traits, like us Armstrongs," Armstrong replied proudly.

Mustang's face fell but he tried not to show it.

"Did you ask her anything else?" Mustang's right eye twitched slightly.

"No," Armstrong admitted, "But I did give her a very long lesson on the important aspects of the Armstrong family and history."

Mustang's eye twitched again.

"Alright then," Mustang tried not to let his annoyance show, "I'll ask the questions and you write down the answers."

"Right, sir!" Armstrong saluted.

Mustang nodded as a sign of acknowledgment and sat down in Armstrong's seat. He laced his fingers together and rested his chin on top. He gazed at Amy as if she was prey and Amy found herself feeling uncomfortable again. This silent gaze lasted for another thirty seconds before Mustang suddenly became cheerful and smiled at Amy.

"You have any older sisters?" he asked while flowers appeared behind his smiling head.

To say Amy felt a little creeped out would be an understatement. She pressed her back into the chair and tried to look as if she wasn't freaked out by Mustang's sudden change of mood.

"No," she answered while debating the distance between her seat and the door, "No I don't."

Mustang's flowers wilted and his smile faded. Then he regained his position of a Colonel in the Amestrian military. Roy put on a semi-serious face.

"_That's it! I've decided,"_ Amy thought, "_Everyone in this country is bipolar! Every single one of them!"_

"Amy Kishi is your name right?" Mustang asked her.

"Yes," Amy answered snapping away from her thoughts about bipolar people, "Kishi is spelt K-I-S-H-I."

Armstrong wrote that down.

"Ms. Kishi, how old are you?"

"I'm…" Amy suddenly stopped talking.

How old she was depended on what day it was. Or did it. Was she still fifteen even if the date here was before her birthday? Yes it would make sense. She did live for fifteen years so she was fifteen. This meant that her birthday had to be adjusted to fit the calendar here. Great, memorizing one's own birthday after it got rescheduled to a new date. Sounds like fun.

"What day is it?" Amy asked nonchantly.

Both men looked surprised at the question but made no comment.

"April twenty-third, nineteen-thirteen," Mustang told her.

Looks like there had been a time jump after all. Amy's birthday was in May, but it was June where she came from. There was no way she could say it was her sixteenth birthday next month when she would only have been fifteen for two months. This meant she would have to switch her birth date. If it was June where she came from it meant there was eleven months till her birthday. So if Amy applied that theory to the current date then her birthday, on this side of the Gate, was on March fifteenth, the ides of March. At least that's what she thought it was called. Oh well, this way it would be easier to remember.

"I'm fifteen," Amy replied to Mustang's question, "And on this side of the Gate my birthday would be on the fifteenth of March."

"What do you mean on this side?"

"It's June where I came from and my birthday was in May. Which means if I kept my birthday the original day but followed your calendar then I would be turning sixteen next month. I'm just over fifteen so I rearranged the date to follow your calendar, "Amy explained.

Mustang looked thoughtful but nodded his head to show that he understood.

"Tell me about your family," he suggested.

"I'm from a family of five. I have two younger sisters and a mom and a dad," Amy stated, "My sisters are Melinda who's eight and Courtney who's eleven. My dad's name is William and my mom's name is Bridget. Mom is forty-three and dad is thirty-nine."

"That sums up the family background and we have statistics on you, so all we need to do is create a fake citizenship for you and think of a reason to why you have a weird accent," Mustang told her.

"My accent is not weird!" Amy retorted offended, "Besides you guys all sound funny to me."

It was true. Even though everyone here spoke perfect English (or was she speaking perfect Amestrain?) they all had a bit of an accent to their voices. It was hard to explain because Amy could understand them perfectly but she detected a sort of background to their voice. It was confusing but basically they all had an accent which made their voice sound different then Amy's. What language was she speaking anyway? Amy guessed Amestrain because she was in Ametrisis and English probably didn't exist here. So this meant that the Gate had probably exchanged Amy's native language for the native language of this county because Amy had been speaking it without even realizing what she spoke. Well that was helpful.

"What does guys mean?" Armstrong asked puzzled.

Ooops. Amy really needed to work on not using slang from her time.

"It's an expression where I come from meaning 'you people'," Amy replied.

"THAT IS WONDERFUL! YOU HAVE YOUR OWN LANGUAGE!" Armstrong bellowed, "YOU MUST SPEAK SOME!"

Instantly Armstrong came closer, eager to hear Amy speak in her native tongue. Amy tried to scoot the chair back so she wouldn't be close to the man who scared her.

"Can you really speak another language?" Mustang asked, less enthusiastic then Armstrong.

"Uh," Amy didn't like the fact that both men were staring at her so intently, "Back at home I spoke English, the language of my country, but I think my language was switched for your language. You know equivalent exchange and all."

Amy ended sort of feebly as she watched the men's reactions. The men seemed to take it rather well and were pondering on the just revealed information.

"That makes sense," Mustang stated.

"Indeed it does," Armstrong agreed.

Amy stared at the thinking men for a few more seconds before she decided she had enough interrogating for one day.

"Can I go back to my cell now?" Amy asked them cautiously.

"_I can't believe I just said that. I'm asking to go back to jail. Today has to be the weirdest day ever."_

"I don't see why not," Mustang stated, "We'll come get you if we forgot anything. Do you know what cell you are in?"

Considering she had been unconscious the first time she went into the cell and she had been whisked away by Armstrong the second time, no.

"Je ne sais pas," Amy answered.

That was French for 'I don't know'. Amy had taken French in middle school and high school. So she could speak enough French to ask for directions, order food, and have conversations with preschoolers. Since Amy had been speaking French for such a long period of time, some words were inserted into her vocabulary even outside the classroom. Most of the time Amy didn't even realize what she was saying. In her brain she was thinking 'I don't know' but it came out in French. There were a few other words from different languages that Amy often spoke without thought. Such as 'hi' and 'your welcome' in Spanish; 'good day', 'sorry', 'stupid', 'cat', and 'cute' in Japanese; and 'hello/goodbye' in Hawaiian. Her friends were used to it, although they usually would playfully smack Amy when she spoke French right after a hard French test. However, Amy forgot that others didn't know what she was saying when she spoke in other languages. This was one of those times.

Armstrong and Mustang cast Amy suspicious looks.

"I thought you said your native language was exchanged," Mustang said in an accusing tone.

Amy caught onto her mistake. Involuntarily she raised a hand to her mouth as if to take back what she said.

"It is! I mean it was," Amy struggled to find the right words as her nervousness increased along with her heart beat, "I mean that was French! Not English!"

"French?" Mustang repeated still suspicious.

Quickly Amy tried to explain while trying to keep her nerves from bursting.

"Yes, French another language from my world," she blurted desperately wanting to get them to se she was innocent, "It's not my language. Just one that was taught in school."

"You speak more then one language?"

"Barely yes," Amy stammered her eyes darting from Mustang's to Armstrong's face, "All kids in my time do. It's taught in school. Well not that exact language but a language. One from my world."

They still looked suspicious.

"Come on, you guys have different languages in other countries," Amy tried to show them some reason.

"How come this language wasn't exchanged?" Mustang's eyebrow rose.

"Maybe it was," Amy suggested.

Armstrong and Mustang gave her a look.

"I mean, look in my world there is a country like this one it's called Germany," she went on the gears in her head turning, "Here it is Amestris. So I speak Amestrian. For some reason I ended up here instead of what would be your United States."

Amy was a bit puzzled on why she ended up here instead of their United States but she put that thought off to focus on her point.

"I speak your language now," she pointed out, "So my theory is all of my languages were exchanged for the languages of the countries in this world. French is the language of France so I must be speaking the language of whatever country that would be France in my world."

The two soldiers were calculating Amy's reasoning. Her idea made sense and her point was getting across. Now all Amy had to do was bring it home.

"Your world and my world look exactly alike," she told them, "They have the same geography, but we have different names. We also are in a different time and we have different histories and futures. There is no alchemy where I come from so what happens in my world is definitely different then what happens in your world. But we are more alike then you would think. The climates are the same, the geography is the same, and I bet the languages are very similar too. I just don't speak German so I can't prove it."

It looked like her point had gotten across. At least it made sense to Amy. Sure she had made that up on the spot, but it all seemed reasonable to her. She hoped Armstrong and Mustang would believe her. How many times did she have to prove that she was not a spy?

"THAT IS MAGINFICANT REASONING!" Armstrong bellowed enveloping both Amy and the chair in a hug, "YOUR BRAIN POWER RIVALS THAT OF US ARMSTRONGS!"

Amy coughed. It felt like she was being pressed into a brick wall by some metal arms. Her rib cage and lungs seemed to have shrunk and she was forced to take shallow breaths. The back of her chair dug into her back and knees. Basically she was being squished. Her poor vertebrae, kneecaps, and ribs they never stood a chance. The lower portion of Amy's legs started to go numb from lack of blood flow.

"_I hate hugs,"_ Amy thought bitterly.

Armstrong then dropped the chair. The chair hit the ground hard causing a sharp pain to shoot up Amy's spine while the chair began to wobble. Back and forth the chair went but Amy was too preoccupied with trying to make some of the pain leave her body. Then the chair toppled over onto one side and Amy's left side hit the ground hard.

"Ow," she mumbled into the floor.

Amy sat up and tried to stretch her legs out. Instantly her legs began to feel tingly as the blood began to flow again. Meanwhile Armstrong was striking poses worthy of a pro-wrestler.

"Indeed we Armstrongs are not only known for our strength," Armstrong bragged while flexing his arm, "We have breathtaking brainpower!"

Amy gave Armstrong a blank stare. If he was so smart you think he would have realized that she was lying on the floor. She would believe he had brains when she saw it. Mustang seemed oblivious to the entire ordeal and proceeded to ponder what Amy said.

"It sounds logical," Mustang expressed his opinion, "Besides I highly doubt you're a spy. As I've said before you know too much to have peaked into our files."

"_Then what was the point of making me explain all that?"_ Amy wanted to scream, but she kept a calm face on. Her parents had taught her manners. Taking deep breathes, Amy closed and her eyes.

"_I will not scream. I will not scream," _Amy instructed herself while squeezing her eyes shut, "_I will act calmly. I am a human being."_

Her muscles untensed and Amy relaxed. She opened her eyes and squinted to block out the sudden light. Something was blocking most of her vision. Amy blinked a few times before she could make out what the dark object was. It was Mustang. He was standing in front of her offering his hand. Amy blinked a few more times before she reached her hand out and grabbed his. Mustang gave her a smile, which would have had women much older then Amy blushing, and pulled her up without any noticeable effort.

"Thanks," she thanked the man, a little bit confused on why he helped her get up.

"You're welcome," Mustang offered with another dazzling smile.

Amy felt her face turn slightly red. It wasn't because she liked Mustang. No far from it. She wished to set him on fire with his own gloves. But it was hard to ignore the facts and the fact was that Mustang's smile could make any woman blush, especially one that blushes as easily as Amy. Damn Mustang and his smile!

Suddenly Mustang, while still gripping Amy's hand leaned in real close. Amy tried to back up, but Mustang had a firm grip on her wrist. Now the smile was gone. Instead a very stern face was in its place. Amy's heartbeat went into double time as she stared at the face. Something was wrong.

"Although I must warn you Ms. Kishi," Mustang spoke while still keeping a polite tone, "If we ever find out that you are in fact a spy. I will turn you into ashes."

The dark look on Mustang's face assured Amy that he was not lying. Amy could only stand there stunned. It seemed like time had stopped and the only thing she could hear was her own heartbeat in her ears. Her thoughts were jumbled together as the threat repeated itself in her brain. As suddenly as time had frozen it came back in full force. Armstrong was still posing and babbling, and Mustang stood up to his full height. No one but Amy and Mustang knew what just happened. This didn't affect anyone else.

It struck Amy that Mustang could have killed her right there and then and the world would have continued. Al and Ed would still continue the search, Mustang's subordinates would still be doing paperwork, and Amy's cellmates would continue to serve their time. At the moment Amy's presence in this world was a burden. Back at home people would have missed Amy. In her own world there were people's lives she affected and people who would miss her. Was that the same here? The answer was no. Right now she wasn't important enough to really affect someone's life. This realization made Amy's stomach fill with dread. Never in her life did she have to earn respect or love. Sure she had made friends, but even if she didn't her parents and siblings still would have loved her. But that didn't exist here. On this side there was no one who would love Amy unconditionally just because she was in this world.

Amy had heard rumors that parents love their children more then anything. It was because they felt the child was a part of them. That when they looked at their child for the first time, they felt the need to protect it. But was that because of animal instincts or love? If that was true there wouldn't be people like Tucker in the world. There wouldn't be people who would hurt their own children. She was getting off track. Amy knew her parents loved her. That her life had been blessed. Yet she also knew that things wouldn't be the same on this side of the Gate.

"Major would you take Amy back to her cell?" Mustang asked, although it seemed more like an order then a question.

"I would love to escort this wonderful lady back to her cell!" Armstrong announced, "It would give us more time to discuss the brainpower of my family!"

"_Ahhhh! Noooooooooooooooooo!" _Amy's brain screamed.

On the outside Amy didn't say anything though, but her expression explained her mood. She could feel her face dropping.

"If that is the case then I'll be going now," Mustang waved while heading towards the door.

"_Evil! He's evil! He did this on purpose!" _

Right before he left Mustang turned around with a grin on his face.

"Have fun you two," he taunted.

"Colonel Mustang," Amy spoke with a sudden burst of courage, "One day I'm going to earn your respect and trust!"

Amy felt brave. She wanted to earn Mustang's trust. She wanted to earn everyone's trust. No self-pity party here. So Amy had to earn trust. She had done that before. Why should this time be different? Amy was going to be someone reliable. Someone Ed, Al, Mustang, and all of his coworkers could trust. Someone that would play an important role in their lives wherever it shall take them.

Mustang's looked surprised for a second before he smirked.

"I look forward to that day," he said before turning and leaving.

Amy stared at the closed door for a few seconds. Wait did that mean he trusted her? Or was he just pulling her leg? She was confused and hungry. Her stomach was starting to cause her stabbing pains.

"_I'll worry about this later," _Amy decided, "_What I really need right now is some food. What time is it anyway?"_

Amy glanced around the room hoping to find a clock. The walls were bare.

"_Gah! This is annoying," _Amy's stomach grumbled in agreement, "_How long have I been here anyway?"_

She pondered this. Her conversation with Mustang couldn't have taken that long. It had to be at most twenty minutes, but how long had she talked to Armstrong? Amy tried to remember how long Armstrong had been speaking for, but he had just talked and talked and talked. Most of the Armstrong's speech Amy had been spacing out and she hadn't kept track of the time at all. There was no possible way to tell how long she had sat there, although it had to be at least ten minutes. The only reason Amy guessed that was because that seemed like a reasonable length of time for one's butt to fall asleep. Seriously though, Amy could have sat there for an hour and not have realized it.

"_No, I'm pretty sure if I sat there for an hour my brain would have melted,"_ Amy thought, "_Too much Armstrong is bad for one's health."_

Amy's stomach grumbled again. If it could speak her stomach would have been cursing her out right now for not feeding it. Her stomach was so empty right now it was trying to digest air, and it hurt! Amy's insides were meshing together demanding food and causing a shock-like pain every once in while. It was almost as bad as having cramps.

"_Food I need real food,"_ Amy whined.

She remembered a conversation she once had with her mother. It had been about how humans could go without food for up to a week. At some point the talk had transferred to people willingly giving up food. Her mother had argued that it was impossible not to eat when you were starving, with perfectly good food in front of you; unless, there was something wrong with your mental state. For the most part Amy had been inclined to agree. Like every other self-conscious girl in the world she had decided to lower the amount of food she ate so that she would become skinner. That had lasted a total of a day before Amy couldn't stand it anymore and gobbled a bowl of ice-cream.

"When you are starving," her mother had said, "You only think of food and you will not stop thinking of food until you eat some food."

And Amy had agreed with her.

This was one of those moments her mother was talking about. All Amy wanted to do was eat. She needed food in her stomach and she needed it now! Yet the only reason she couldn't have some was because Armstrong was still caught up in himself. Which meant if Amy wanted to eat she would have to wait till Armstrong finished talking (which would not happen any time soon) or she would have to ask Armstrong to escort her back to her cell. Neither of the options sounded that great, but Amy preferred the second one.

Taking a deep breath Amy gathered what was left of her courage and walked over towards Armstrong. She stood in front of the practically bald man and watched as he took on a Superman pose.

"And that is why we Armstrongs are well known to all of the animals in the animal kingdom," Armstrong announced finishing one of his many speeches.

"_Animal kingdom? I don't even want to know."_

"Major Armstrong," Amy interrupted before he launched into another lecture, "Would it be alright if we went back to my cell now?"

"Wouldn't you rather stay here and listen to the story of my great-grandfather who chopped down an entire forest in one hour?" Armstrong asked looking at Amy with a sincere face.

"_No! No! Someone get me out of here!" _Amy's brain screamed.

Although Amy had to agree with her brain, it had never let her down before, she couldn't be rude to Armstrong. It looked like he really wanted to tell the story. If everyone had the same reaction as Amy they all probably ran away before Armstrong could finish. Amy didn't want to hurt Armstrong's feelings that would be wrong, but she was really hungry. It would be best if she let him down gently, maybe he wouldn't hug her to death then.

"No, that isn't it," Amy lied, "It's just that I had a long day and I want to get plenty of rest before tomorrow."

She tried to look as tired as possible which wasn't that hard considering she had had a long day.

"I AM SO SORRY!" Armstrong bellowed an apology.

"What for?!" Amy half-screamed surprised by the sudden use of volume.

"FOR NOT REALIZING A YOUNG LADY SUCH AS YOU NEEDED REST!" he shouted, "I SHALL ESCORT YOU TO YOUR ROOM IMMEDIATELY!

Before Amy could object she was scooped up again and was passing through the doorway at an incredible speed. Immediately she panicked a little when her heart started pounding faster and her limbs failed around, but she managed to calm herself a bit. Her head shook wildly and Amy had to use both her hands to steady it before she could completely calm herself. She resigned to Armstrong's method of travel but couldn't help but gasp a little when he practically jumped over the stairs. That did it! From now on she was going to stay as far away from Armstrong as possible! He was scary.

"_Today has to have been the longest day of my life," _Amy thought before Armstrong turned a corner so sharply and narrowly that Amy was literally a hair away from it.

"_And the scariest,"_ she added as her breathing retreated to normal.

* * *

Tigger: I seriously developed a phobia of Armstrong.

Amy: (is huddling in a corner whispering) There is no place. There is no place at home. At home there are no crazy almost bald men with sparkly muscles.

Tigger: There's that guy on the cleaning commerical the one who gives people disposbal sponges. He has muscles and makes things sparkle.

Amy: AGHH! (twitches and falls over)

Armstrong: I HAVE COME FORTH TO HELP TIGGER WRAP UP THIS CHAPTER!

Tigger and Amy: AHHHHHH! (Both back away fearfully)

Armstrong: HELLO LADIES! (Armstrong poses and sparkles)

Tigger and Amy: AHHHH!

Armstrong: WE ARMSTRONGS HAVE BEEN HELPING OTHERS WRAP UP CHAPTERS FOR DECADES!

Tigger and Amy: AHHHHH!

Armstrong: IS THERE SOMETHING HERE SCARING YOU LADIES? IF SO I SHALL DEFEAT IT!

Tigger and Amy: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! (both faint)

Armstrong: Young ladies?

Al: Amy? Tigger? (looks around) Where's brother when you need him?


	24. Box Buddies?

Ed: Hello? Al? Amy? Tigger? TIGGER WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?

(Tigger, Amy, and Al appear)

Tigger: See Al, I told you he was fine. I just sent Ed to the next chapter.

Al: Brother! You're all right!

Ed: Yeah, no thanks to Tigger.

Tigger: You were annoying me. Be glad I didn't hit you with a hammer.

Ed: You mean I missed all of last chapter.

Tigger: Yep. For such a short person you catch on quick.

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY THAT HE CAN'T BE SEEN BY THE HUMAN EYE!

Al: Brother please. (Al is holding E back)

Tigger: That's a new one.

Amy: You know your insult makes no sense.

Tigger: As long as I can make Ed upset it doesn't matter.

Amy: You're so mean.

Tigger: I know. Hey I want to thank lilypop8, Fuurai, FreeCream, UnbornHope, Arden Anam, anime.storm, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, instrument trio, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Shadowess 88, 13Lulu's, and Twilightstorm1993 for reviewing/favoriting.

Amy: Do you know how many of your reviewers are now scared of the Major?

Tigger: I know we should make a club. We'll call it the BOBMSSM club.

Amy: BOMSSM?

Tigger: Beware Of Big Muscely Scary Sparkly Men Club.

Amy: Oh.

Ed: TIGGER I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!

Tigger: Oh, I forgot about him.

Amy: Me too.

Tigger: Let's start the chapter then.

Amy: Okay!

* * *

A loud screeching noise reached Amy's ears. Amy cringed and tried to snuggle up for warmth. Her brain wasn't operational yet and all of Amy's instincts told her that sleep was the best option. She was so tired that no matter how uncomfortable Amy really was, the pain wouldn't register until she woke up later. Amy curled up like a feline and stuck one arm under her head to use as a pillow. Almost instantly she was lulled back into semi-consciousness; where she was tired enough to block out the outside world but awake enough to know that she was sleeping. For a matter of seconds her brain tried to work and figure out what was going on, but it soon stopped and went back to resting.

Pain in her leg! Hurt! Wake up! NOW! These were the messages Amy's body sent her. Confused and half-asleep Amy panicked and stretched her body out to its full extent.

"OW!" she yelped when pain appeared in multiple parts all over her body, "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow!"

Her feet had hit something, a wall or something liked that perhaps? The result had been that her feet pushed her body upwards and both Amy's head and her hands collided into another solid object. This caused her brain to actually begin receiving messages which quickly overloaded. Incredibly stiff and sore were some of the easier complaints. Her muscles felt cramped and she needed to stretch really badly. That didn't look like it would be happening though. Besides the aches from what must have been an uncomfortable sleeping position, Amy's head hurt. There was some faint pulsing from her forehead and some much more demanding pulsing from her new injury. It also felt like something was wrapped around the injuries on her forehead which was squishing the injuries. Her shoulder felt like someone had played tug-a-war with it and both of her wrists felt like they had been twisted the wrong way. Amy's ribs sent a tiny shock through her nervous system every time she took a big breath and there were multiple bruises that stung every time they brushed against something.

Where was she? What was going on? What happened to her? Amy took some calming breaths in order to clear her mind. If she panicked she would most likely injure herself even more.

"_Think Amy think," _she ordered herself, "_Look at your surroundings. Try to remember what happened last."_

Her panicked being eased slightly as she took some more yoga breaths. The injured muscles untensed and Amy felt the adrenaline in her system go down.

"_Breathe in, breathe out," _she repeated the mantra to herself while closing her eyes.

If it was one thing she learned it was that panicking would not do any good. Amy focused solely on her breathing and tried to block out the rest of the world. Once Amy could no longed detect adrenaline which would make her jump at the slightest noise in her system, she opened her eyes.

It was a few shades lighter then when she had her eyes closed but not much, Amy decided. Her eyes hadn't adjusted yet and Amy couldn't make out her own hands. Being impatient, she didn't wait to adjust and began to explore. Slowly she held her arm out behind her. It came in contact with what seemed to be a wall. Amy rubbed the wall, trying to see what it was made of. It was smooth, but not stone smooth. There were no outlines like those in a brick wall, instead there were giant lines running horizontally downwards. The wall felt kind of grainy. Was it wood? Amy knocked it. It sounded like wood. Thin but durable wood to be more exact.

Amy's foot brushed against the opposite wall. Most likely it was made of wood too. Amy reached both arms out to the sides, only to brush up against two more walls that felt exactly like the first. An idea forming in her head, Amy's hand brushed against the floor she was lying on to find out it was made of the same material as the walls. Almost positive her idea was true she reached up to see if there was anything above her. It was a long stretch, but it felt good on Amy's muscles and her fingertips brushed the ceiling. Same material as the walls, Amy was right. She was in a box, a wooden box, with no idea how she got there.

"Nnnnhh," Amy's voice began in a whine but was building up towards a scream.

What was going on here? Why was she in a box? The last she remembered was being in jail. She had missed dinner but Betty, Martha, and Cynthia had managed to bring some for her. They had talked. Amy had been super tired…and then what?! She distinctly remembered no mention of a box! Or even seeing a box for that matter? Fear gripped Amy's chest as wild ideas spun through her mind.

"Amy!" a voice called.

Wait Amy recognized that voice, but who did it belong to? It was masculine sounding but not very deep. It sounded like a teen boy's voice.

"Al?!" Amy questioned.

* * *

Al stared at the sheep who surrounded his box.

"Nice sheep," he coaxed in a gentle voice, "Nice sheep."

The sheep 'baahed' happily and rubbed against his box. The box trembled back and forth.

"Okay, nice sheep you can leave now," Al spoke still using his gentle voice, "Nice sheep. Please go away."

The sheep leaned in closer. Oh, what was he going to do now? Al had no body parts in which to push the sheep away with and he couldn't yell at the sheep, that would be mean. It was one of those times where Al wished his body wasn't so breakable.

At the moment the train was stopped at a station. People were busy unloading, and since no one had come to get the sheep, Al was free to talk. Who he was talking to was a different story. Why had the Major put him in the livestock car anyway? Suddenly there was a big commotion and the doors to the livestock slid open.

"Change of plans, Al," his brother announced pushing aside sheep, "We're getting off here."

Al was confused but he trusted his brother and his decisions although they were a bit far out at times.

"Where are we going brother?" Al asked as the major came in pushing a cart.

"We saw someone who might know something about human transmutation," Ed explained while putting Al on the cart.

Major Armstrong pushed the cart out of the livestock car and onto the platform.

"Eww Al, you smell like sheep," Ed commented scrunching up his nose.

"It's not like I wanted to get stunk up brother," Al protested.

"Have we got everything?" Ed asked looking around without waiting for an answer he continued, "Good then let's go before he gets too far."

Ed grabbed his suitcase and began to walk towards the exit.

"Wait, brother!" Al called, "We forgot Amy!"

Ed stopped and his face dropped.

"Shit," he cursed while turning around and running back towards the livestock car, "Hey! Don't close that door! We forgot something!"

The man who had been closing the door looked surprised, but opened it anyway.

"Quick Major, go get Amy!" Ed ordered while motioning towards the open doorway in which sheep were peering out of.

The Major ran into the cart and emerged seconds later with a giant wooden crate in his hands. He thanked the man who had held the door open for them and jogged over to Ed with the crate.

"Great we're all set, let's go," Ed motioned for everyone to start moving.

Major Armstrong and Al didn't move a centimeter.

"What now?" Ed asked exasperated.

"Brother what do we do with Amy?" Al questioned, "The Major can't hold both of us."

Ed frowned in frustration.

"He's going to get away," he stated angrily but didn't leave.

Instead he studied the box for a second. One hand rose to put a hand on his chin while his eyes furrowed. Ed still looked slightly annoyed but seemed to be using that as energy for thinking. His eyes stayed focused on the book until they began to sweep the room, Ed was looking for something. When Ed didn't spot it the frown increased and a few additional lines ceased into his forehead. Ed's eyes swept the train preparing to leave. Then his face lit up.

"Let's see carbon, hydrogen," Ed began reciting the elements which made up wood.

"Okay," he announced when he finished making a mental list and clapped his hands, "This should work."

Ed pulled his hands apart and a brilliant light appeared. The wind picked up and whirled around Ed as what seemed to be lightening jumped from his fingertips. Ed pressed his hands against the wooden crate Armstrong was holding. The crate glowed with a yellowish light as bits of matter began to form shapes on the box. When the glowing vanished there were some new moderations to the crate. Now there were four wheels and a handle so the crate strangely resembled a wagon.

"Done," Ed announced, "We can just pull her along now. Al can even be stacked on top."

Al looked horrified at the thought.

"Brother!" he objected, "We can't do that! What if her box breaks and I crush her? Or what if she wakes up?"

Al was going to continue his speech but Armstrong brought it a speedy end.

"Yes! Let us go and question Dr. Marcoh! It will bring us one step closer to helping you poor brothers!" Armstrong interrupted.

"But," Al began, but never finished.

"Let us go!" Armstrong shouted with sparkles around his body.

Before Ed could blink, Al's box was on Amy's box and Armstrong was pulling both towards the station exit.

* * *

"Hey!" Ed called but picked up his suitcase and hurried after them.

"So here he calls himself Dr. Maulo," Ed stated after they spoke to some women who were taking care of horses in a barn.

Currently he and Armstrong were standing outside of the barn after their conversation with the women. They had been talking to villagers all over the town and no one admitted to knowing a Dr. Marcoh. The villagers did recognize a very well-done picture Armstrong had drawn, but they told him it was Dr. Maulo, a doctor who cured them for little pay and did not like the city. Ed was still surprised that Armstrong could draw that well. Where in the hell did he learn to draw like that? He didn't ask though, afraid of a long-winded and pointless answer.

"The flash," Ed muttered thinking about what the women had said.

"Most likely alchemy," Armstrong spoke Ed's thoughts.

Several of the villagers had mentioned the 'magical' healing of Dr. Maulo. How their cases had seemed hopeless but Dr. Maulo would always save them. Everyone agreed there would be a bright flash and things would be as good as new. Ed was certain that this bright light was indeed alchemy, but he had never heard of alchemy like this before. Alchemy was mostly used for destruction and militaristic purposes; it was rare to hear of alchemy healers. To be one, one had to have immense knowledge of the human body. One wrong cell and the entire healing process would backfire.

"Let's go see if we can find his house," Ed instructed.

Armstrong nodded in agreement and the two headed over to where they left Al and Amy. Amy was still unconscious in her box and it was better if no one knew about Al. Not many could understand the concept of a soul in a suit of armor. So it was better to leave Al behind, that way he'd be less likely to talk. Edward regretted it, but Al understood. Al was very mature for his age and sometimes grasped things better then Ed. People and emotions were a few examples. Al always seemed to be able to pick up on what others felt and why they felt it. It was just a gift of Al's. It was sad that someone like Al had to suffer such a cruel twist of events.

The two men headed towards Al in silence.

* * *

Al was waiting for his brother and Major Armstrong to come back. They had left him and Amy behind while they went to question villagers. The two of them were behind a large haystack next to a field of some underground plant, no one was around. Amy was still asleep or pretending to be asleep, although Al doubted the later was true. Most people would speak up if they woke up in a strange and unfamiliar place. Yes most people would speak up if they woke up in a small dark place.

"_Maybe it wasn't the best idea to put Amy in the luggage cart," _Al thought nervously, "_She'll be terrified when she wakes up, and I'm still on top of her box so she can't get out."_

Alphonse hoped his brother would return before Al had to deal with that. Suddenly a couple of large bangs could be heard. Al looked around to find the source of the noise. He didn't see anything. All that was surrounding him were plants and hay, nothing that could make that noise. Could it be that Amy was awake? Al hoped not. What would he say to her? How could he explain what was going on? He couldn't even move the box he was in and his brother wasn't back yet. Maybe it was just her moving around in her sleep.

"OW! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" Al heard Amy yelp.

Maybe she was awake.

Beads of nervous sweat began to run down Al's head. What should Al do now? What should he say to her? How can he explain the situation? Wait why wasn't she speaking? Did she bang her head? Did she open her head wounds? Wait if she was bleeding to death? What could he do? There was no one around to help!

Quietly Al listened, trying to catch a sound of what Amy was doing. At first he could hear nothing. Then there was some deep breathing. Did she fall asleep again? Or did she knock herself out? Al began to panic slightly until he heard something else. It sounded like whining noise. Could Amy be awake? Al couldn't tell. It sounded like she was awake, but she could just be talking in her sleep. He would have to check.

"Amy," he called tentatively.

Al didn't want to wake her if she was still asleep.

There was a moment's hesitation before a response.

"Al?!" the voice asked.

"Amy it's me, Al," Al answered," Are you okay?"

The sound of a big breath being let out could be heard. Amy was probably glad that Al was here. Being alone in this situation would be much worse.

"I've been worse," Amy admitted, "Al, where am I?"

She still sounded a little scared.

"Well," Al began unsure of how to answer that question, "You're no longer in East City Jail."

Silence.

"No really?" Amy asked in a sarcastic tone, "I didn't notice."

Al sweatdropped. When did Amy become so sarcastic?

"We're a few hours away from Resembool," Al continued.

"We're on a train?!" she questioned.

"Not exactly," Al told her, "We were on a train, but we got off early because we spotted a man who might be able to help us with our search."

"So we are no longer on the train but we are not near Winry's," Amy clarified.

"Pretty much," Al agreed.

There was a long silence. Al was unsure how to start a conversation and Amy was being shy.

"So..uhmm..why am I in a box?" Amy asked.

"That would be the Major's idea," Al explained, "He said it would be cheaper if you pretended to be luggage. I'm in a crate too."

"So we're box buddies?" Amy joked feebly.

"I guess," Al chuckled slightly.

An awkward silence fell upon them again.

"How did I get in a crate anyway?" Amy asked, there was a pause, "And why do I smell like barn animals?"

"The smell is probably from the train," Al explained, "The Major thought it would be nice if we had some company, so we were put in the animal compartment with a bunch of sheep."

More silence.

"…sheep?"

"Yes, they kept trying to eat the box you are in as well."

"I was attacked by sheep?"

"I guess but I wouldn't call it attacking…" Al trailed off, this conversation seemed to become weirder and weirder with every passing second.

Al was about to tell Amy how she got into the box and who they stopped for when he heard footsteps coming towards them.

* * *

(Tigger is cupping something in her hands)

Amy: Hey Tigger what do you have there?

(Tigger looks around and sees no one. She beckons Amy closer)

Tigger: (whispering) It's a secret.

Amy: What is it?

Tigger: It's a sparkle. I think it used to be Armstrong's.

Amy: It sure is shiny.

Tigger: Yeah. We should use it in our BOBMSSM club.

Amy: Shouldn't we return it to Armstrong?

(Tigger and Amy look at each other)

Tigger and Amy: Nah.

(Armstrong magically appears)

Armstrong: HELLO LADIES!

(Sparkles come shimmering off him and land on the floor)

Amy and Tigger: AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Armstrong: Oh I'm sorry about my sparkles. It is that time of the year.

Amy and Tigger: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

Armstrong: I know it is dreadful but once a year my sparkles shed. (Wipes tears away) BUT LUCKILY NEW ONES GROW BACK!

(Amy and Tigger glance at sparkle in Tigger's hands)

Tigger and Amy: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!! (Tigger tries to shake sparkle off) IT WON'T COME OFF!!

Armstrong: Oh you like my sparkles here have some more. (Tosses sparkles at the girls)

Tigger and Amy: AHHHHHH THEY WON'T COME OFF! (Tigger and Amy run in circles) AHHH! (They bonk into each other and fall over)

Armstrong: OH NO THE YOUNG LADIES LOVED MY SPARKLES SO MUCH THEY FAINTED! DO NOT WORRY THOUGH AS I WILL GO FETCH AN ARMSTRONG ANTIDOTE!


	25. The Woes of a Dimension Traveling Girl

Tigger: Hello and welcome fellow members of the BOBMSSM club!

Amy: Thanks for coming to this meeting.

Ed: I think they came here for chapter.

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! They came here to learn how to get rid of Armstrong's scary sparkles.

Ed: (rolls eyes) Your being overdramatic

Tigger: Do you want a hug of doom? (Ed shutters) I didn't think so! Now be quiet whiel I tell these reviewers about our club.

Amy: All members of the BOBMSSM club get a pin and a cool red button!

Ed: What's the red button for?

Tigger: It's an emergency button. If Armstrong comes near you then you press it.

Ed: Then what happens?

Amy: A BOBMSSM SWAT team comes and rescues you.

Ed: Where did you get the money for this?

(Tigger and Amy have shifty eyes)

Tigger: It would be better if you didn't know.

Ed: What have you done now?

Amy: Thank you very much 13Lulu's, FreeCream, Wandering Hitokiri, WhiteWingAlchemist, SecretSnow, Emalee Roze, Ria442, anime.storm, Shadowess 88, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, lilypop8, and Stteph. for favoriting/reviewing/joining our awesome club.

Tigger: LET'S START THE CHAPTER!

Ed: Hey wait you never answered my question!

* * *

"Hey, Al," his brother called rounding the haystack, "We got some more information on him."

"That's great brother," Al perked up instantly, "This means we're one step closer."

"I have a good feeling about this lead," Ed remarked with a grin on his face.

Al was glad for his brother. It had been such a long time since they got any valuable leads. Their last lead about Father Cornello had sounded fishy to begin with but they had gone after it anyway. It wasn't the first time things happened like they did in Reole. Colonel would give Ed a lead, they would both go after it, run into a lot of trouble, and then hit a dead-end. Sad, yes, but Ed and Al soon got over that. They realized they couldn't be upset after every wrong lead. After all the Philosopher's stone was supposed to be just a fairytale, even finding rumors about it was a sign that it might exist. Those rumors were a sign of hope for the brothers, even if Ed didn't admit it. So it was nice to see some facts after a long time of chasing gossip, especially for them.

"Uhmm...can someone tell me what's going on and possibly get me out of this box?" Amy asked nervously.

"_Amy didn't sound nervous before_," Al noted.

Was Amy intimidated by his brother? Or just people in general? But she had seemed so comfortable around him, was it possible that she just felt easier around Al? This idea made Al happy. People were often scared of him on first appearances. It was easy to understand why though, he was giant suit of metal armor complete with spikes. No one could feel completely at ease with him around. Once people got to know Al they often changed their minds. They realized that he was gentle soul while his brother was a ticking time-bomb. Yes, his brother was always the one attracting negative attention.

Still it was nice to know that someone saw past his outer exterior. The only others who really saw Al for the fourteen year old boy he was, were the people who knew him before the incident. Even the military members who he and Ed worked with had to get used to the idea. Yet, someone who so readily knew his secret treated him as normal.

"_That's the first time this happened!" _Al thought happily.

"Oh, Amy you're awake?" Ed directed his question towards Amy's box.

"Yes," Amy replied sounding a little unsure, "Can you please let me out of this box now?"

"I WOULD BE GLAD TO BE OF SERVICES MS. KISHI!" Major bellowed.

"Hi, Major Armstrong," Amy's voice sounded strained, "Nice to..uh..hear from you again."

"It is nice to hear you too, Ms. Kishi!" Major answered loudly, "NOW I SHALL ASSIST YOU AND FREE YOU FROM YOUR CURRENT PREDICTMENT!"

In one smooth motion the Major scooped Al's box up with one hand, lifted the lid off the other box, and struck a pose. From Al's position he got an aerial view of Amy's open box. She was sitting towards the center of the box with her legs to one side of her and she was looking upwards. Behind her in a corner of the box was a pile of books with her hat sitting on top. Amy herself looked a little weary and had some bandages tied around her forehead. Al could spot some bruises and cuts on her exposed arms and legs. She was wearing a different outfit from when Al had last seen her the previous night. (All he had seen of her today was the outside of her box.) Amy was wearing a white short sleeved shirt with an orange cloud on it and a pair of blue pants that ended around her knees. Her hair was also layered, giving Amy a more feminine look. When the lid was lifted off, Amy blinked a few times and squinted into the sudden sunlight.

"Good morning!" Major greeted, beaming on the girl.

Amy blinked a few more times before she looked at Armstrong. When she finally got a glimpse of him Al saw her skin color turn paler then before.

"Uh..yeah..morning," she greeted warily.

"The way you sleep it might as well be afternoon," Ed huffed, still a bit peeved at the previous day's events and the situation he was in.

Amy's scared interior melted away instantly and was replaced with anger. Apparently she had issues with Ed as well.

"Brother," Al scolded, "Be nice."

"Only stating the facts," Ed told Al smugly, "Now let's get moving."

"Moving? Wait, where are we going?" Amy's curiosity was overtaking her anger, "No one told me what's going on."

Al answered before his brother used the opportunity to add another snide comment.

"We're looking for Dr. Marcoh," he explained, "The Major spotted him at the train station in this town. So we got off there and have been asking around the village for him."

"They call him Dr. Maulo here," Ed reported, "All of the villagers rave about him being a great doctor and how there is always a flash of light before they're completely healed."

"Is it alchemy?" Al asked.

"We're pretty sure it is."

"Dr. Marcoh," Amy mumbled, "He was a part of the military right?"

The others looked dumbfounded before Armstrong replied.

"Yes, but how did you know that?"

Amy's face paled as she realized her mistake and Ed glared at her. He didn't like having to drag her around and he didn't like the fact that she knew things she shouldn't have. This slip of tongue was only proving his suspicions.

"He was in the anime," Amy blurted out aware of her situation, "I told you the manga and anime have similar parts. I watched twenty or so episodes of the anime. I don't know how much of it will come true."

"The Dr. Marcoh part came true," Ed pointed out angrily.

"Yes, but you met him under different circumstances," she continued frantically, "You were searching for Dr. Marcoh because of a lead Mustang gave you and Armstrong followed you. You guys met him but then Scar came and then military agents came. But before the military came you guys had a battle with Scar and it was the same result as the one you had yesterday. But there was no me in it and then you guys decided to visit Winry to get fixed up!"

Amy finished her speech out of breath and slightly red in the face. She watched to see their reactions with a pleading face; she wanted them to believe her. There was a silence as everyone absorbed the information she told them.

"I guess that's a good reason," Al spoke trying to be polite.

The story was ridiculous but no more ridiculous then what she had already said. Al knew Amy wasn't lying and a small portion of him trusted Amy slightly. She gave them no reason not to believe her and any reason she explained. Overall the story seemed fictional, but when one thought it over it made sense in a weird way. Ed seemed to have the same thoughts as his glare disappeared.

"I still don't trust you," Ed told Amy, whose face fell, "But Al trusts you and I trust his judgment. Don't give me reason not to."

* * *

"_Does that mean he trusts me?"_ Amy asked herself.

Her stomach was a giant knot and Amy's heartbeat had doubled when she realized what she let slip. It was such a stupid thing to do and then she couldn't even lie about it! But Al had taken her side and so had Ed in a way. Amy felt a little happier with that thought. It meant she was one step closer to becoming friends with them. Friends with Ed and Al, her heroes! She could just imagine the number of fangirls that would gladly stab Amy for this opportunity. Hell, they would stab her any numerous amounts of time to get in her position.

"Let's go find Dr. Marcoh's house," Ed announced.

Amy looked around the outside of the box. Was she allowed to get out? She looked around the box she was housed in. Now that it was light she could actually see in there.

"Hey, my hat and some books," Amy said outloud.

Ed gave her a peculiar look.

"You didn't notice them before?" he asked.

Amy blushed not realizing that she had voiced her inner thoughts.

"It was pitch black in there," Amy said as an excuse.

Ed lifted one eyebrow to make an expression that clearly said is-that-really-the-best-excuse-you-can-come-up-with. Sadly the answer was yes. Amy really needed to work on her lying skills; one would think they would have improved after a night of lying to criminals.

"What happened to me?" Amy asked as a thought struck her, "I mean did you people go into my cell and just shove me in a box?"

"No, the Major went down there and your cellmates put you in the box along with some going away gifts," Ed explained.

"Going away gifts?" Amy repeated puzzled.

She looked around and noticed her backpack and a brown paper bag were smushed between the stack of books and the side of the crate.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye also put your backpack in there along with some letters from the Colonel," Al added.

"Indeed, the Elric boys are correct," Armstrong nodded with some sparkles around his head.

Ed and Al sweatdropped with expressions asking if Armstrong's comment was really necessary. Amy just inched farther away from the man. She was not kidding about the phobia she was developing of him.

"The books in there are the ones you need to study for your testing," Ed said.

It took a few seconds for Amy to remember what Ed was talking about.

"_The test I need to take to become part of the military,"_ she recalled.

Amy looked at the stack of books. There were seven of them. She had fourteen days to memorize seven thick textbooks of stuff she had never even heard of before.

"_Aw hell,"_ Amy thought, "_It will be like midterms and finals multiplied and then squared."_

An edge of panic began to settle in Amy's stomach. There was no way she had enough time to memorize all of those books. Sure she could read them, but her level of studying involved much more then reading and retaining. Few people could remember every single word they read.

"_Don't think about it!" _she ordered herself.

Slowly Amy took a deep breath. She would have to focus on this later when she had time. Right now she wanted to focus on Dr. Marcoh. He could be very useful especially with his Philosopher's stone in progress. Maybe in the manga he found some way to make a real Philosopher's stone and Amy wouldn't even have to study! She could go home to her family and never be chased by homicidal alchemy using mass murderers again!

"Amy if you want you can walk around now," Al suggested.

Amy gave Al a grateful look, glad that he had answered her unasked question. Using the edge of the box for support, Amy lifted herself up. The minute she placed weight on her legs a sharp pain was sent up Amy's spine. Her legs buckled beneath her and Amy was stuck with only her arms supporting her.

"_It hurts! It really hurts!"_

It felt like she had run ten miles and then had gotten into a fight with some large person who use her as a punching bag. Gritting her teeth, Amy placed her legs down again. The sharp pain went up her vertebrae again, but Amy ignored it. Now that she knew what to except she was going to go down. Most people would assume that since she went to such a nerdy school that no one would care about gym. However, it seemed like the teachers at her school wanted to prove that you could be smart and physically fit. Amy was used to running tons of miles, doing rock climbing, and following those activity videos. In fact her school had the best gym program in the county. So this made Amy fit, but she was unable to fight. She was really regretting never taking karate or some other form of martial arts.

Amy did a quick survey. She was used to bruises and cuts so she could brush them off. Other parts of her body screamed in pain when she moved them, but her muscles weren't sore. Meaning she could do most normal activities as long as she avoided the pain areas. Satisfied with this analysis, Amy grabbed her hat and put it on her head. Then she lifted one leg over the crate and landed on the other side. Her legs tingled slightly but Amy paid them no mind.

Armstrong placed the lid on her box and placed Al on top. Ed motioned for them to start moving and Amy followed him silently. No one spoke as they walked towards the main part of the village. Ed and Armstrong walked side by side but Amy was slightly behind. It hurt to keep up with Armstrong's pace and she had no desire to be any closer to the man then she needed to be. The four of them entered the town and headed town one of the less used roads. Amy admired the old styled stone buildings while Armstrong asked a boy which way they needed to go.

The silence that had fallen on the group meant that everyone had time to think. Amy was trying to keep her thoughts away from the test and focused more on what people had given her. Obviously the Colonel's letters were probably her citizenship papers, her cover story, and most likely some instructions of what she should do after they finish up with Winry's. But what had the cell mates given her? And how could they fork her over to Major Armstrong so willingly? They had seen how she reacted when he came by the cell and yet they just gave her to him.

Amy sighed. They most likely had no choice. Besides it was probably amusing to them.

"_Why does everyone enjoy seeing me in pain?"_ Amy wondered.

"That young man said to continue down this road and make a right at the next turn," Armstrong announced when he rejoined the group, "He said that Dr. Marcoh's house had a sign in front of it, so we'll recognize it."

Ed nodded and they began to walk away from the boy and down the road.

"So he took a false name and hid in this village," Ed spoke as they rounded the corner, "But why did he run away?"

Amy, Al, and Ed looked at Armstrong for an answer. The Major however stopped.

"This is it," he announced in all seriousness.

Ed didn't say anything as he stared at the house which could have the answers he was searching for. Armstrong lifted Al up and put him on his shoulder. They were going to leave the crates outside.

"I heard," Armstrong responded while climbing the steps, "When the Dr. disappeared that some important files also went missing. A rumor spread saying that the Dr. took them. That's why he ran off. He might have thought we were agents coming to get him."

"_Makes sense,"_ Amy thought as she climbed the last step and joined everyone else on the small flat area in front of the door.

"_Still I have the feeling I'm forgetting something," _she speculated, there was pause in Amy's thinking and then, "_I think I just jinxed myself."_

Ed knocked on the wooden door, when no one answered he pushed it open slightly.

"Hel," he started but then the color drained from his face, "lo."

A large bang came from the doorway as Ed and the Major jumped out of the way. Amy also jumped but out of fear instead of need to dodge a bullet.

"_Frick," _Amy cursed, "_Now I remember! He has a freaking gun!"_

Dr. Marcoh stood in the doorway with his gun facing the group. Amy didn't move as she watched the old man's fingers on the trigger. Her heart was beating frantically and more then anything she wanted to run away screaming, but fear kept her glued to the spot.

* * *

Tigger: Hey reviewers you seemed to like my story with my sister so much I figured I give you another story about my life. So here it goes:

(Tigger is walking. She stops in front of a bus and gets on. She pays bus driver and looks around. There are no seats in the front.)

Tigger: Oh come on.

(Tigger begins to walk down aisle.)

Tigger: No seats. No seats. No seats.

(Tigger reaches the back of the bus)

Tigger: Aha! A seat!

(Takes seat and notices people staring.)

Tigger: What?

(People turn away and Tigger looks out the window. Suddenly the bus starts going backwards. Tigger looks out the back bus window and notices that there is another bus behind them.)

Tigger: Hey! There's another

(Tigger's bus hits the front of the other bus.)

Tigger: Gah! (goes flying out of seat)

Other people on bus: What's going on? Did we just hit another bus?

(Bus driver looks scared he hits the gas)

Tigger: (is getting up) Ow! What the!

(Bus shoots forward and Tigger bangs the seat in front of her.)

Tigger: Ow! You know what I'm going to stay on the floor.


	26. It's Raining Heavy Silences

Ed: Why the hell am i introducing this chapter?

Al: Amy said Tigger would be running late and to start without them.

Ed: Well what am I supposed to say?

Al: I think we're supposed to thank the people who reviewed and favored first.

Ed: I think Tigger likes to use the word favoritied.

Al: The word that isn't a word.

Ed: Yeah that word. So I just tell a bunch of reviewers thanks.

Al: We'll your supposed to list their usernames.

Ed: And stay here longer no thanks.

Al: But brother it wouldn't be fair to the reviewers.

Ed: Fine. I'll thank them.

Al: You should say something nice to them to. Tigger is usually too busy...uhmm preocuppied to do it.

Ed: You mean she is too busy beating me up.

Al: (sweatdrop) Yeah

Ed: Stupid Tigger. Anyway 13Lulu's thanks for the nice short response it gives me less to write. Shadowess 88 Armstrong is scary get over it. Arden Anam guns are a part of life and are no problem if you can duck. anime.storm this is your update. Twilightstorm1993, Tigger is only funny if you are not stuck in her imagination. lilypop8, what is wrong with you people?! Tigger is an evil &!

Al: Brother I think you just got edited.

Ed: Stupid #& editing.

Al: Brother.

Ed: Alright I'll keep going. vampgirl16, life is embarassing be like Tigger and be insane so you aren't affected. Stteph., I'm just glad she didn't spend the entire omake torturing me. The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist what the hell is a ninja alchemist? Lonelyfairy didn't leave a message. Good now I'm all done. If I forgot anyone too bad.

Al: Brother stop being so rude to Tigger's reviewers.

Ed: Tigger's not here so there is no problem.

(A phone rings)

Ed: When did that phone get here?

(Al shrugs and Ed picks it up)

Ed: Hello?

Tigger: EDWARD STOP DISSING MY REVIEWERS OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE ON YOU!

(Tigger hangs up)

Ed: I'm doomed.

* * *

"_Frick," _Amy cursed, "_Now I remember! He has a freaking gun!"_

Dr. Marcoh stood in the doorway with his gun facing the group. Amy didn't move as she watched the old man's fingers on the trigger. Her heart was beating frantically and more then anything she wanted to run away screaming, but fear kept her glued to the spot.

"What did you come here for?!" the doctor demanded.

He looked scared and worried but his fingers didn't leave the gun.

"Please calm down doctor," Armstrong tried to settle the old man.

"Did you come to take me back?!" the old man sounded more frantic, "I don't want to go back! Please just let me be!"

Amy felt a bit sorry for the elderly man. He looked so scared. All he wanted to do was in live and peace and here she was helping scare him into a heart attack. Although she felt pity towards the man Amy didn't move. She liked her life very much and she had seen enough cop shows in which they had pushed someone too hard and people snapped.

"That's not true please listen to what I have to say," Armstrong tried being the voice of reason.

"Then you came to silence me by killing me!" Dr. Marcoh accused.

Ed and Al watched the two with some nervous sweat running down their heads.

"First put that gun down," Armstrong instructed calmly.

"I won't be fooled!" Dr. Marcoh bellowed tightening the grip on his gun.

Armstrong seemed to have reached breaking point.

"I SAID TO CALM DOWN!" he yelled angrily while tossing Al's box into the air.

The box hit Dr. Marcoh and nailed him to the ground.

Ed and Amy watched in silent horror as the Dr. moved his limbs around frantically under the box.

"DON'T USE MY BROTHER AS A WEAPON!" Ed screamed at the giant.

"He calmed down," Armstrong pointed out.

"YOU SQUASHED HIM UNDER A BOX!" Ed protested, "AND WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO US IF YOU KILL HIM!"

"I just needed him to drop the gun," Armstrong said as if it was a normal thing, "Let's go inside and we can talk things out."

Ed looked like he was going to protest again, but noticed that the screams and gunshot might have attracted attention. Instead he sighed and slipped past the doctor inside. Armstrong leaned down and picked up the gun.

"Here Ms. Kishi, you hold this," he told her and dropped the loaded gun into Amy's frozen hands.

Amy hadn't moved an inch since the gun had came out and she immediately stiffened when the metal object was dropped into her hands. It was heavier then she thought it would be and was slightly warm from the last shot. Stiffly Amy used her right hand to push the gun onto the palm of her left hand then she gripped the handle of the gun with her right hand. Moving slowly, as if the gun was a rabid animal that could strike her at any second, Amy let her left hand dropped. Then, almost mechanically, she moved her right arm so she was holding the gun as far away from her as possible and so it was facing the ground.

She tried not to think about how the only gun she had ever held before was a Beebe gun or how she doubted guns had safeties in the early 1900's. Her mind tried to push away the fact that guns, even if they were old fashioned, were very dangerous and Amy could take the life of an innocent by just pulling a trigger. Amy also tried to not let the fact that only experienced people should handle a gun and that inexperienced people were likely to shoot themselves. In fact Amy's brain seemed to only be focusing on one thing putting the gun down before she exploded from fear.

Armstrong had already gone inside with Al and Dr. Marcoh. Amy went through the open door always keeping one eye on the gun in her hand.

The inside of the house was slightly dark, as if someone didn't bother to turn on the lights. Ed, Al, Armstrong, and Dr. Marcoh all sat at the table in the center of the room. To Amy's left sat a small table in which people put their keys on when they enter the house. Amy turned herself one-hundred and eighty degrees, so her right side was next to the table and she was facing the door. With her left hand she closed the door, so no one could see inside. Slowly she lowered her right hand and placed the gun on the table. She let go and there was a small thunk as the handle hit the table. Amy jumped as if she had been shocked and darted over to Al, whose box was place on one side of the table.

She tried to make herself appear as small as possible while warily keeping one eye on the gun. Amy decided that she didn't like guns and had no will to ever hold one again. The others gave her some looks but Amy ignored them.

"Dr. Marcoh could you please explain why you ran away from the military?" Major Armstrong asked.

"I couldn't bear to do it," Dr. Marcoh began, "Even though it was an order I couldn't get my hands dirty with it, I… And then it was used in the Ishavalan war as a tool for murder…."

Amy was silent as the man tried to get his point across. It sounded like he wanted to explain to them, to finally get the truth off his chest, but he couldn't. Instead he was rambling and going in circles.

"Such a horrible battle. Too many innocents died," Dr. Marcoh murmured.

Immediately everyone in the room looked downcast. The war was a personal thing for all of them and an outsider like Amy couldn't understand. Her throat tightened as she viewed the expressions of the others.

"What I have done are things that cannot be atoned for, even by taking my own life," Dr. Marcoh admitted with sadness, "Still, I am acting as a doctor here for as long as I can."

A heavy silence fell on the group.

"What research did you do and escape with?" Armstrong asked.

The doctor didn't reply right away as he used his hand to support his head and looked at the table. He looked at the table as if he was going to cry, as if he regretted everything he ever did.

"I researched the Philosopher's stone," he told them.

It was if someone had shocked them. Ed and Al looked surprised while Armstrong managed to keep a neutral look on his face. Amy just stared at the man. She was unsure of how to react. She knew it was coming but it was still a slight shock for her. Did he really make a Philosopher's stone? Could she really go home? It couldn't be that easy, could it?

"The research and a stone are what I took from the military," Dr. Marcoh said.

"You have a stone!" Ed managed to vocalize, even in shock.

"Yes," the doctor answered, he walked over to one of his medicine cabinets and took something out, "It's in here."

He held out a small bottle filled with what could be mistaken as red cough syrup. Ed, Al, and Armstrong looked at it in disbelief. Amy stared at it in awe. It was the Philosopher's stone! All of her answers right in front of her. Her way home! The little bottle could take her back to her family and friends!

"A stone isn't liquid," Ed pointed out.

The doctor didn't pay anything but took the cap off the bottle instead. Instead he began to pour it on the table.

"Wha?" Ed voiced but was stopped by the liquid forming a stone shape.

He and the Major peered at it. Cautiously Ed poked it with his left hand. The stone jiggled like jell-o.

"The Philosopher's stone, the Sage's Stone, the Stone of Heaven, the Great Elixir, the Red Tincture, the Fifth Element," Marcoh listed, "Just as he stone has different names it had different forms as well. However they remained experimental creations till the end. They are just imperfect objects that will reach their limitations and burn out. Yet they were secretly used during the war and their overwhelming power was shown."

Amy's felt her stomach drop. The Philosopher's stone was right in front of her, but if she pushed it too much there could be bad aftereffects. She had to get home to her family, but what would happen if she used the stone?

"Even if you say they're an imperfect creation, making it means there will be further research. Meaning we could make a perfect one!" Ed grinned, "Mr. Marcoh please show me your files!"

Ed looked at the man eagerly.

"Uhhh," the doctor looked flabbergasted and looked towards Armstrong, "What should I say to him? Major Armstrong, who is this boy?"

"A State Alchemist," the Major answered.

A look of horror and regret fell on Dr. Marcoh's face.

"Now even children.." he muttered with a grimace on his face, "You probably were lured in by the research funding and obtained the license foolishly. After the war so many couldn't stand to be a living weapon anymore and left. And yet you!"

Marcoh let his sentence hang in the air. Amy looked at Ed. No one had ever called him becoming a State Alchemist foolish. They always congratulated him on doing something no one else had done before. Those who knew his reason for becoming one never dared to call his decision a foolish mistake. The understood the pain and pressure that was put on Ed's shoulders. Yet this man had called Ed a fool without a second thought. Was the military really that bad? Did Marcoh know something so horrible about the military that he couldn't bare to see others fall victim to it? These thoughts made the hair on the back of Amy's neck stand up. Just what was she getting herself into?

"I know it was a stupid decision but," Ed objected loudly, "I will continue to sit on this bed of thorns until my goal is accomplished."

Marcoh looked at Al and a look of understanding appeared on his face.

"So you ignored the ban," he sighed, "I am surprised. I didn't know it was possible to successfully transmute a soul. You might as well be able to create a perfect Philosopher's stone."

Amy's eyes brightened. They could create a Philosopher stone! One that would work! And Amy would get to see her family!

"Then," Ed started with excitement in his voice.

"I cannot show you the files," Marcoh spoke sternly.

Amy's eyes widened. Why couldn't he show them? Why did he keep getting her hopes up and then crushing them? She wanted to go home damn it! What gave this guy the right to stop her?! Why were adults always telling her what to do? She had no guardians here, yet she had been bossed around every second! Amy was perfectly capable of taking care of herself! She didn't need adults to put her down! No one was going to stop her from getting home! Amy wasn't going to rely on adults or others to do her work for her! She was going to accomplish her goal with her own two hands!

"Why not?!" Ed demanded

"This is the end of the discussion," Marcoh said dismissing them, "Go home. I will not let you have the stone for something as minor as restoring your bodies."

Ed's glare turned up in intensity at this comment.

"Minor!" he growled.

"Doctor that isn't fair," Armstrong objected.

Marcoh turned around and began walking away from the table.

"It is better if you didn't see it," Marcoh told them, "It is the devil's research."

Anger rushed through Amy's veins. How dare he accuse her of not having enough guts to do what it took to complete her goal! How dare he insult Ed and Al! She had been through enough torture! Her naïve life was stripped from her in a matter of minutes! Everything she had loved and cared for was gone! And if she didn't do something about it they would be gone forever!

"I'll go to the Devil himself to get that research!" Amy shouted slamming her fist onto the table, "The Devil cannot make me suffer anymore then what I have gone through! So get over your damn self and fork over your notes!"

Marcoh was startled by her outburst, but retreated into his resigned state.

"Once you see that research you'll see the face of hell," he told them.

Amy growled. He was doing it again! She had seen Hell's face! He didn't wear a face! He wore a stupid grin! Ed was having a similar reaction to Amy.

"If you're talking about hell," Ed seethed, "I saw it a long time ago!"

Marcoh looked at Ed with surprise and fear, but sobered up quickly.

"I can't let you…" he whispered, "Please go home."

The doctor looked at his medicine cabinet intently, refusing to turn around.

Amy felt her anger dim. She wanted so much to throttle the man and demand his research, but somehow she couldn't bring herself. She couldn't even bring herself to yell at him. A feeling of hopelessness began to settle in. She had come so close yet she couldn't go home.

The others gathered their things in silence and left through the front door, but not before giving one last look at the man. They walked down the road towards the train station without saying a word. On the way back they passed by an old woman who was walking around. She was using a cane, had white hair, and a shawl was wrapped around her upper body even in the warm weather. The old woman took one look at the group and walked over. She stood in front of Amy and the group stopped to see what she would do. Amy was unsure of how to react. She felt too bitter to be polite but couldn't bring herself to be rude to the old lady either that would be wrong of her.

'Don't look so downhearted, child," the lady told Amy, "I'm sure whatever is wrong the doctor can fix it. He's a good man. Saved my grandchild he did. Give him time and I'm sure he'll fix up your problem too."

The lady then gave Amy a genuine smile.

"Here darling, this will fix you right up," the lady said taking an apple out of her purse and placing it into Amy's hands, "Now cheer up. It will be such a shame for the world to miss such a beautiful smile."

Amy looked from the apple to the woman filled with gratitude. The grandmother had just made Amy realize something important. God Amy was such a fool and a bad person too. Amy hung her head looking at the ground.

"Thank you," Amy mumbled pulling the apple closer to her, "I'm really grateful."

Amy's voice cracked as she held back tears. Such a fool. Such an inconsiderate fool.

The woman gave her a smile of understanding, "You're welcome, dear. Have a nice day."

Then the woman began to wobble down the street in the opposite direction of where Amy was going. Amy was an idiot. Dr. Marcoh wasn't being mean. He wasn't underestimating them or taunting them. He couldn't let them have the research because he was protecting them. Just like he protected all the people in this town. All of the people who he cares for and heals.

"_He really is a good person,"_ Amy thought looking at her apple.

"Amy, are you okay?" Al asked.

"I'm fine," Amy sniffed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve, "See fine."

She lifted her head and gave them a smile. The smile wasn't one of happiness. It was more of one of understanding. The others gave her thoughtful expressions and Ed gave Amy a small smile.

"Let's go to the station," he told them.

The others nodded in agreement and headed forward.

"Wait," Amy stopped moving, "Does this mean I have to go back in the box?"

* * *

Amy: Hey we're here!

Al: Hi Amy, where's Tigger?

Amy: I have no idea. Where's your brother?

Al: He ran off in fright.

Amy: Oh! What Tigger did makes sense now.

Al: What did Tigger do?

Amy: She whiped out a cellphone and tracker.

Al: Which cellphone?

Tigger: The neon green and black one with purple swirls.

Al: Isn't that the one with all the contacts being villans?

Amy: Yep.

(Ed goes running by followed by Armstrong, Mustang, Winry, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, and Tigger. All with some form of weapons.)

Tigger: THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR INSULTING MY REVIEWERS!

Ed: I SWEAR TIGGER THAT I'M GOING TO GET YOU FOR THIS!

(Only a dust ball is left after they all run by)

Amy: Yeah it was that phone.


	27. Different Views

Tigger: Hey people. I'm sorry this chapter is a bit late, but I brought a special guest.

Ed: Someone to save us from this fanfic?

Tigger: Nope. I brought the person Allison is based off of.

Al: You mean that one girl who is Amy's friend?

Amy: Yeah that one that always apologizes.

Ed: Joy another Tigger.

Tigger: Sorry but I am so awesome there is only one of me.

Ed, Al, and Amy: --

Amy: I wonder where all that confidence comes from...

Tigger: Now presenting Ali-san!

(Ali-san appears in room with a spotlight over head)

Ed: Where that spotlight come from?

Ali-san: I'm sorry that I have a spotlight!

Ed: It's not your fault.

Ali-san: I'm sorry for bothering you then.

Ed: It's okay.

Ali-san: Oh alright, I mean sorry!

Ed:...

Tigger: So Ali-san welcome to my fic.

Ali-san: Thank you for inviting me?

Amy: Tigger did you kidnap her?

Tigger: No. (shifty eyes)

Ali-san: She did.

Tigger: Ali-san! You betrayed me!

Ali-san: I'm sorry! Why is my name Ali-san anyway?

Tigger: I'm not the creative when it comes to names in case you haven't noticed.

Ed: We noticed.

Ali-san: ED BE NICE TO TIGGER!

(everyone but tigger backs away fearfully)

Tigger: Hey Ali-san want to thank the reviewers.

Ali-san: Thank you very much. (Bows) Thank you lilypop8, Shadowess 88, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, vampgirl16, Arden Anam, Lonelyfairy, Wandering Hitokiri, 13Lulu's, Stteph., Ria442, YukinoKara, anime.storm, WhiteWingAlchemist, and Draconian Master for reviewing Tigger's story she apprecaites it very much.

Tigger: Now on with the chapter.

* * *

Ed and Armstrong sat on a bench at the station. Al was in his box next to Ed and Amy next to Al in her box.

"_This is degrading in so many ways," _Amy thought munching on her apple.

It was a good apple and Amy had realized shortly after getting it she hadn't eaten anything all day. Did the woman know that? But how would she know? Maybe Amy's stomach was growling and she didn't notice. It was possible because Amy had been preoccupied.

"_As long as the apple isn't poisoned it doesn't matter," _Amy reasoned taking another bite.

"Is this really fine with you?" Armstrong asked Ed.

Amy, who had been sitting in her box, got on her knees and looked over at her traveling companions.

"Huh?" was Ed's brilliant reply.

"While you wouldn't have been able to see the files, you could have taken the stone by force," Armstrong pointed out.

"Hell yeah," Ed agreed, "I really, really wanted it too! But then I remembered the people we met on the way to Dr. Marcoh's house. Even if we restored out bodies we would be robbing this town of its life support, it would leave a nasty aftertaste. We'll just look for a different way. Right, Al?"

Ed looked at Al.

"Yep," Al said.

Armstrong looked over at Amy's box.

"What about you, Amy?" Armstrong questioned her.

"I'm sad that I don't get to see my family," Amy answered truthfully, "I miss them and every second I'm here I miss another second of their lives. For all I know, Melinda could have learned to ride a two-wheeler by now."

The group sent Amy sympathetic looks. They understood what she was saying. Family was important, especially to someone like Amy who relied so much on her family.

"But I think deep down I realized Dr. Marcoh had a good reason for not giving us the stone. The old woman helped me see he wasn't being mean. Dr. Marcoh is a really good man and he was just trying to protect us from something that tortured him," Amy explained, "Although I do admit, the idea of stealing never crossed my mind. That would be mean and illegal."

Al sweatdropped, "It's just like brother to think of illegal things."

"Hey!" Ed protested, "I didn't steal it in the end!"

"You were going to," Amy pointed out.

"But I didn't! And that's all that matters," Ed said defensively.

A thought occurred to Amy.

"If you really did steal the stone wouldn't that be breaking the law?" Amy asked, "And wouldn't you have to go to jail? Not only would you be stuck in jail but then you couldn't help Al get his body back either. So the whole thing would have been pointless."

"She has a point Mr. Elric," Armstrong noted.

"Shut up!" Ed yelled angrily, "No jail could hold me anyway!"

"Are you admitting to treason Mr. Elric?" Armstrong stated seriously while glaring at Ed, "Because if you did… I WOULD HAVE TO PREFORM THE ANCIENT ARMSTRONG PUNISHMENT!"

Armstrong jumped out of his seat and began to pose while sparkles and roses surrounded his practically bald head. Ed scooted away from the man and Amy sank lower in her box.

"_I will not curl up into fetal position. I will not curl up into fetal position,_" Amy repeated the mantra to herself.

Her legs shook and Amy tried not to scream. How do you develop a phobia of a person anyway? Leave to Armstrong to make her afraid of him in less them twenty-four hours. That had to be a new world record.

"What about you, Major?" Al piped up trying to draw the attention away from 'The Ancient Armstrong Punishment', "Don't you have to report this to central?"

Armstrong settled down into his seat.

"The only man I met today was a Dr. Maulo," Armstrong told them.

Ed grinned at that statement and then looked out into the distance. Dr. Marcoh's town was in the middle of nowhere. Well that's what it seemed like to Amy who had lived in the crowded suburbs her entire life. The train tracks ran in both directions for miles without any sign of civilization in sight, except the current town. It seemed like the tracks could go on forever.

"We're going to have to start all over again," Ed sighed, "Man, this is a really long road."

"All roads have their end brother," Al pointed out.

"Yeah, I just hope this road ends soon," Ed complained.

"Me too brother," Al agreed.

There was a silence as they all enjoyed the view. It really was a long road and Amy had joined only halfway through. The road would probably get even trickier from now on too. Things always got worse before they got better. Amy just wished their road had a good ending. What if the end of this road was the edge of a cliff? What would they do then? Create a new road? Jump over the cliff and find out what's below?

"_Maybe I should stop thinking in metaphors."_

"Hey!" a voice called.

Ed, Al, Amy, and Armstrong looked over at the source of the noise. It was coming from the train station entrance. There were some loud stomps and then Dr. Marcoh appeared at the top of the staircase. He was breathing heavily and sweating slightly while he gripped a letter in his right hand.

"Mr. Marcoh," Ed said curious to why the old man had reappeared.

Hadn't he just told them to go away and not come back? So why would he be here?

"This is the place where I hid the research files," Marcoh announced holding up the letter.

Ed and Armstrong bolted out of their seats. Was he serious was he really going to tell them where the files were? If Ed and Al could just improve his research then they could get their bodies back and Amy could get home. Did Marcoh realize the favor he was granting them by giving them the location?

Amy quickly climbed out of her box, dropping her apple in the meanwhile. The apple rolled off the platform, but Amy paid it no mind. She had to see that envelope. She had to know. Her way home. She had to see it.

Ed, Armstrong, and Amy met up with Dr. Marcoh in the middle of the platform.

"Look at this if you won't regret knowing the truth," Marcoh instructed them while holding out the envelope, "And if it's you, you will find out the truth behind the truth."

Ed held the envelope in his hand while looking at the man. What did he mean? The truth behind the truth?

"No," I've said too much," Marcoh announced shaking his head before turning his back towards them, "I hope you are able to gain your bodies back someday."

With that, he took off running out of the station. They all stared after him. Did he just realize what he had done? He had provided them with the answers that they had been looking for. That Ed and Al had combed Amestrsis for, for almost four years. There was no way the brothers could show their gratitude to him. Or Amy could tell him how much this meant to her and how she was sorry for her earlier acts. She looked at everyone else to see how they were reacting.

Armstrong had tears pouring out of his eyes while he saluted and sparkles surrounded him. Ed was bowing to the man and Al was attempting to wave with his broken armor's shoulder. Silent gestures of how much they appreciated this man. This stranger who was helping them so much. Amy looked at the man. He was almost out of the station and she hadn't even thanked him. Plus, if everything went right, she would never have the chance to. She had to thank him, but how?

"_Some times the best way to thank someone is just to say thank you," _one of her mother's expressions rang in her head.

"THANK YOU!" Amy shouted cupping her hands to her mouth, "THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

The distant figure paused for a second before he sent a backwards wave and then ran off. Once they could no longer see the man, everyone focused their attention on the envelope in Ed's hands. Without a word, Ed began to open the envelope and unfolded the letter inside it.

"The Central City Library. First Branch," Ed read, "Tim Marcoh."

"So he hid a tree in a forest," Armstrong muttered, "The amount of books in that library is staggering."

Amy tried to imagine how many books were in the library. Probably as many as the Library of Congress. Amy's friend had been there once and said she had never wanted to leave. She was a book worm too. Amy had never been there but she looked forward to seeing that many books in one place.

"There's a clue about the stone there," Ed's hand trembled with excitement.

"Brother, this road isn't a dead end," Al announced.

"Yeah!" Ed agreed with a determined look in his eyes.

Amy looked at the paper in Ed's hand. She only had to wait a few days and then she could go home. To her family and friends and twenty-first century technology. She was so close.

"The biggest library in the country," Amy grinned, "I can't wait!"

* * *

Lust brushed her hair away from her face. She would have to head over to the Central City Library before the FullMetal boy got his automail fixed. It wouldn't be good for their plans if he figured out the truth before the proper time. Father would understand why she had left him alone for a while. Besides the boy would be there in a few days time. Lust slipped into the allies and began to walk towards the station. The only trace she had even been in this run-down town was at Dr. Marcoh's office, and he wouldn't tell. At least if he valued this village of his he wouldn't.

In the distance Lust heard the train whistle. Good, that meant she wouldn't run into the boy. He couldn't know anything about her and the others.

She had been following FullMetal since he boarded the train earlier today, just to make sure he was in proper shape to be a sacrifice. Imagine her surprise when he had run across the Doctor. Somehow Mr. Marcoh had been avoiding their detection despite their best effort. But good had certainly come out of this trip. Marcoh had proved himself worthy of a sacrifice and Lust now knew the location of the missing files. Father would approve. There was a tiny detail that was bothering Lust though. The girl.

Her and the other homunculi had been trailing the Elric brothers on and off for a while now. Yet this girl had never been in the picture before. It was almost like she had fallen out of the sky. She appeared during the Scar incident, but there were no signs of her before. The Elrics did not seem to know her either. It was a most oeculiar situation.

The new girl was not in the plan and Father did not like intruders or surprises. Surprises did not bode well with his plan. Lust had no idea what the girl was capable of and it seemed like she was searching for the stone too. Lust smirked. She would have Wrath look her up while she was in Central. Maybe this little girl was worthy of being a sacrifice as well. They could always use the extras.

* * *

The house was quiet, silent, dead. Hours earlier it had been loud with crying, wailing, ringing, and knocking; but now there was no sound to be made. The sun was sinking low in the sky casting brilliant shades of color to stretch across the sky. No one was looking at it though. Melinda sniffled and reached for another tissue. It wasn't fair. Why would someone do that? Why would someone take her sister? Didn't they know that it was wrong? Why did people do bad things?

Melinda's chest heaved as her throat tightened. Tears ran out of her eyes and snot began to drip out of her nose.

"Mommy," she cried, "Mommy, I'm scared."

Her mother did not respond at first. She had been quiet since the police left. Always looking towards the stairs, as if expecting Amy to just reappear. But Amy was gone. She had been kidnapped. Someone had taken her away from them. Far away and they might not return her.

"Mommy," Melinda wailed, "Mommy, when will the police bring Amy home?"

The time before Amy had disappeared flashed through Melinda's mind. Amy had been screaming for Mommy and Daddy. She had sounded scared. Daddy and Mommy had rushed upstairs but when they got there Amy was gone. Courtney had run upstairs too and Melinda had followed. Amy's room looked like a tornado had gone through it. Things lay on the floor broken into little pieces and everything seemed to be pulled towards the center of the room like a giant wind had pulled them. Daddy had taken Courtney and Melinda away while Mommy had gone to get the phone. Soon there had been sirens and the police came into the house. After that it had got really loud. People kept calling and the police were all around the house. Melinda had just sat in a corner with Courtney. She had been so scared. Everything seemed darker and even the police seemed like scary strangers.

The only thing she really remembered was Mommy telling them Amy was kidnapped. She had cried. Courtney had cried. Mommy and Daddy even looked upset, but Melinda couldn't remember if there were tears. After that everyone had left. Mommy and Daddy made some more calls, but then they were silent. Just as they were now. Daddy was out looking for Amy. Courtney was in her room and Mommy was still staring at the stairs from her spot on the couch. Melinda was sitting next to her with used tissues surrounding her.

"Its okay, Melinda," her mother said soothingly, "Amy's going to be okay. She's going to be just fine."

Then Mommy started crying.

* * *

Ali-san: That was so sad.

Tigger: Yeah, but it is important to realize there is more then one side to every story.

Amy: (Crying) Tigger, that is so mean.

Tigger: I'm sorry it was for the good of the story. If it will make you feel better you can go beat up Envy.

Amy: Actually that would make me feel better.

(Tigger hands Ali-san, and Amy a hammer)

Tigger: Let's go kick some green gender-confused butt.

Ali-san: Whoot! Sorry I mean let's go!

Amy: CHARGE!

(Envy is walking around)

Envy: WHERE THE HELL IS THE EXIT IN THIS PLACE?!

(Hears footsteps approaching)

Envy: What the..

(Tigger, Amy, and Ali-san appear with hammers)

Tigger: Get him!

Envy: SHIT!

(Runs away with girls chasing him)

Al: (Glances at people running by) Tigger said that we are nearing 250 reviews and the people who review from now until the 250th review get invited to the party.

Ed: She also said there would be a specail prizes and that next chapter we will be torturing both Envy and Mustang.

Al: Brother why are you smirking.

Ed: No reason, Al. No reason.


	28. HeighHo It's Off to Resimbool We Go!

(Tigger kneeling on floor drawing circles in dirt)

Amy: Tigger, why are you doing that?

Tigger: One of my reviewers wanted to give Ed a break from my torture so they gave him a button that would transport him anywhere and Al went with him.

Amy: No more Ed! How will the story go on?

Tigger: It depresses me to no end.

Ali-san: Don't give up Tigger! We'll find Ed!

Tigger: You're right! Amy gather the reviewers. Ali-san get my stuff from the Tigger-cave! I'll prepare the portal.

(A few minutes of running around, sirens, flashing lights, Amy tripping over her shoelace, and Ali-san apologizing)

Amy: Troops assemble!

(Reviewers stand in a straight line in camaflaogue)

Sorachangirl: My first adventure!

Shadowess88: I've got protection from Armstrong's sparkles. (Holds up pair of sunglasses)

Ali-san: Tigger I got the supplies! Here's the tracker and the camera screen.

Tigger: Okay! Troops line up! (Reviewers line up) And here we go! (Jumps through a blue portal thing)

(Lots of screaming, wind, and then they frop into apile on the ground)

Amy: I'm being squished! Ali-san move your foot!

Ali-san: Sorry.

(Scrambling around until everybody manages to stand up.)

UnbornHope: Where are we?

Tigger: Outside my mind.

WhiteWingAlchemist: You mean we were all inside your head this entire time?!

Tigger: No we were inside a place I created with my imagination. (Random reviewer: IMAGINATION POWER) Yeah. But everything that happened in there was real.

Emalee Roze: Is the story inside Amy's mind? I love the story too much for it to be a dream.

Amy: THIS BETTER NOT BE SOME WHACKED UP DREAM!

Tigger: Nope everything that happened to you is one hundred percent real.

Amy: That a relief...WAIT!

vampgirl16: But where are we if we're not in your mind?

Tigger: We're in the lair of

Annora: Colonel Roy Mustang's office.

Tigger: You spoiled my moment.

Annora: WanderingHitokiri has put me in that office more times then is good for your health.

Amy: Our creators are evil.

Tigger: AM NOT! Now focus! Draconian Master gave Ed a button that allowed him to go anywhere he pleased. So obviously Ed went to the last place where we would look for him, here! His escape opened a portal so Mustang escaped but Envy is still trapped in my mind.

Lonely Fairy: So what are we going to do?

Tigger: We're going to split up! lilypop8, Ria442, 13Lulu's, YukinoKara, Stteph., The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, Kit Kat-San, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Twilightstorm1993, and TheWinchesterAngel will go with me to find Ed and Al. Everyone else will go with Amy and Ali-san to find Mustang.

Anime-storm: So where is Mustang going to be?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Ali-san: You know it does make sense that Mustang would be here somewhere. He does work here.

Amy: I'm just glad that Major Armstrong works in Central.

(Group shudder)

Ali-san: Aren't we all?

WanderingHitoriki: Where could Mustang be?

Amy: He's probably avoiding us.

Ali-san: I know how to find him!

Sorachangirl: How?

(Ali-san runs up to an officer)

Amy: Was that guy there before?

Unbornhope: I don't think so.

Ali-san: Sorry for bothering you but do you know where Colonel Mustang is?

Solider A: For some reason Colonel Mustang and his subordinates have been working in the furnace room ever since he got back. Who are you anyway?

Amy: Uhh... WhiteWingAlchemist use the smoke bomb.

(Puff of smoke and everyone but Solider A disappers)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tigger: Now the plan is to draw Ed outside and I'll reopen the portal.

lilypop8: What about Al?

Tigger: Al is always with Ed so if we find Ed we find Al.

Ria442: But we have no idea where Ed is.

13Lulu's: He could be anywhere in this building and he can leave at any time.

Tigger: What do we know about Ed?

YukinoKara: He's short.

Stteph.: He likes to sleep.

The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist: He has anger managment problems.

Kit Kat-San: He's smart.

Psychotic Pyro Fairy: He likes to eat.

Twilightstorm1993: I think I know where he went!

TheWinchesterAngel: Where?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

(Mustang goes running out of building followed by Amy, Ali-san, and reviewers.)

Mustang: I WILL NEVER GO BACK THERE!

Amy: COME BACK HERE OR TIGGER WILL HAVE OUR HEADS!

Ali-san: STOP PLEASE!

(From other direction Al and Ed are running from Tigger and her reviewers)

Tigger: ED COME BACK HERE WE HAVE TO START THE CHAPTER AT SOME POINT!

Ed: I AM NOT GOING BACK THERE! COME ON AL!

Al: BROTHER COULDN'T WE JUST TALK TO THEM?

Ed: NO!

(Mustang and Ed spot each other)

Mustang/Ed: You!

(Hear stampeding feet coming after them)

Mustang: We will talk later FullMetal!

Ed: Okay Colonel Bastard.

(They start running)

Tigger: Oh no you don't! GO POKEBALL!

(Ed and Mustang get squished by giant words)

Ali-san: Tigger what did you do? I mean sorry!

Amy: Did you squish them with the disclaimer?

Ali-san: The disclaimer?

Amy: Tigger's been forgetting to put it so

Tigger: It may or may not have gotten really big as a result of being neglected.

Ali-san: --

Ed: TIGGER WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!

**DISCLAIMER: TIGGER DOES NOT OR HAS NOT EVER OWNED FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS. SHE DOES OWN AMY, AUNTIE SENILE, AND OTHER OCS!**

Amy: Big disclaimer.

Tigger: Yeah

* * *

"_The anime did not do this place justice,"_ Amy decided as she walked along the dirt path, "_This place is like heaven."_

After spending a couple of hours in a dark cramped box, Amy was glad that she could stretch her legs. She was even happier when she realized she was in Resimbool. And Amy's spirits were soaring just looking at this place.

Resimbool was gorgeous, wonderful, beautiful beyond measure. It looked like one of those places in a brochure, but didn't actually exist in real life. But this place did exist! It was real! No matter how much it shouldn't have been.

Amy let out a contented sigh and took a deep breathe. The air even tasted good!

"You seem happy," Ed commented looking at her over his shoulder.

Amy was trailing behind the group, taking in as many of the sights as she could on their walk.

"I just can't get over this place," Amy remarked looking around, "I can't believe you guys got to live here!"

"It is certainly beautiful," Al observed.

"This place is like heaven!" Amy gushed before laughing slightly.

She couldn't help it. This place just made her feel so good. It was like a battery recharger for her soul. There were giant green hills with the greenest grass Amy had ever seen. The fields sprouted gorgeous crops that were rich in color and looked delicious. Where there weren't crop fields or grassy hills, there were pastures for animals. The animals even seemed to be effected by the land. Their coats were glossy and sparkled in the sunlight when they pranced around. Each cow looked like it deserved a prize for best looking while some of the horses could probably outrun a car. Not to mention that the animals were extremely friendly and came up to the fences to greet them. Above Amy the sky was a wonderful shade of blue with white cirrus clouds and it seemed to go on forever. Resimbool seriously looked like what Amy imagined heaven would look like if there was one.

Amy laughed again and twirled in a small circle while looking at the sky. She loved this place and she hadn't even been here for ten minutes. The animals, the crops, the sky, she loved it all. She preformed another twirl but slipped on a pebble. Amy was sent crashing into the ground. Dust rose into the air and the others turned to see the commotion Amy was causing. Amy blinked twice. It was just like her to ruin a perfect moment by falling. She laughed at this thought but had to stop when she started choking on some of the dust in the air.

"Are you high on something?" Ed asked her raising an eyebrow.

"No," Amy coughed, "I just feel so happy and free like I could fly."

"Humans can't fly," Ed pointed out.

"We can try," Amy retorted.

She sat up, brushed some of the dust off her, and then stood up.

"Plus I get to see Winry," Amy smiled while wiping the dust off her once white shirt.

"You must really admire Winry," Al spoke.

"Winry is awesome. She can make automail and her personality is really out there."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you ever got hit with one of her wrenches," Ed grumbled, "I swear she always chucks the biggest one too."

"Brother, if you were nicer to Winry you probably would get hit less often," Al informed his brother.

Ed chose to ignore his brother's statement.

"Let's get going I want to get my arm back as soon as possible," Ed told them.

"Sure," Amy chirped, "Uhmm Major are you sure you don't want me to drag my own box?"

Amy was referring to the box-wagon that Armstrong was pulling. Al was put on top of the box Amy had housed, and all of Amy's stuff (minus her backpack) was in her box.

"THIS IS NOTHING, MISS KISHI! WE ARMSTRONGS ARE GIFTED WITH PLENTY OF MUSCLE!" Armstrong bellowed while showing off his muscles.

Amy's stomach twisted uncomfortably at Armstrong's…display and a shiver ran down her spine.

"Right… uh… I'm going to go stand by Ed," Amy squeaked nervously and bolted to the opposite side of the walkway besides Ed.

Ed gave her another curious look but didn't say anything about it. Hey, it wasn't Amy's fault that Armstrong crushed her in a bunch of musclely (was that even a word?) hugs giving her a fear of him. Amy shivered. She was going to be mentally scarred for life.

"_Physically scarred too," _Amy reminded herself as a sharp prick of pain came from her leg.

"So Amy, have you read your cover story yet?" Al asked her politely.

Amy nodded, "I read it on the train…using tiny beams of light that came through a crack a goat made in the side of my box."

Ed snickered at Amy's misfortune. Amy shot a glare at him. It wasn't funny. She had seriously stuck in a cart with a bunch of goats who kept trying to eat the box she was in! The only good thing that came out of it was some air-holes and some beams of light.

"So Amy, what did the story say?" Al questioned steering the conversation in a different direction.

"Yeah Amy, what did the goat help you discover?" Ed snickered.

A flash of anger went through Amy. Where did he get off laughing at her misery?

"What does it matter to you, you midget?" Amy snapped.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUAK MIDGET?!" Ed roared at Amy.

"YOU, YOU DWARF!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE IS MISTAKEN FOR A VERTICALLY CHALLENGED MYSTICAL CREATURE?!"

"YOU, YOU RUNT! I'M SURE THE DWARVES WANT THEIR KING BACK!"

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"I BET YOUR HANDS DON'T EVEN REACH MY NECK!"

"WHY YOU!" Ed growled launching forward to attack Amy.

"_Oh shoot!"_

Amy stepped backwards to avoid Ed's pounce. She had gone too far. Adrenaline began to make its way through her veins as Amy dodged Ed's attacks on instincts. He was swinging wildly at her, trying to hit her with his suitcase. Amy did her best to dodge him, stumbling and faltering in the process.

"_Jump back. Left. Right. Duck!"_ Amy's brain screamed at her.

Amy's body seemed incapable of keeping up with her brain's signals as she nearly avoided another hit to the head.

"THIS WILL TEACH YOU TO CALL ME A SHORTY!"

In a panic Amy reached into her backpack. Her hands brushed across something wood.

"_Idea!"_

Amy got into her fencing position. Her feet were at nine-oh-clock with her right foot pointing towards Ed and the left turned ninety degrees to the left. Amy's left hand was behind her back and her right hand was in her bag. Ed ran at Amy.

"_Okay...now!"_

Amy pulled her hammer out of her bag and slammed it onto Ed's head. There was a loud "thwack" and then it was silent. Amy remained frozen as her heart beat wildly in her chest and her ears rang. Armstrong and Al watched in silent horror at the scene and Ed didn't move an inch. Suddenly Ed's hand twitched. Amy jumped back as if she had been shocked.

Oh God. What had she done? She had just hit Edward Elric WITH A HAMMER! Oh God. Oh God. WAS SHE OUT OF HER FREAKING MIND?! Edward Elric was a martial arts master! And a master of alchemy! WHY ON EARTH HAD SHE HIT HIM WITH A HAMMER?!

"_It was self-defense. He was attacking me!"_ Amy argued with herself.

SHE STILL HIT EDWARD ELRIC WITH A HAMMER! There must be something wrong with her brain. A sane person, WHO KNEW ABOUT ED'S SHORT TEMPER AND INABILITY TO LISTEN, would not do that! EVER!

Ed's hand twitched again and Amy stiffened. She was dead. So very very dead. And she hadn't even gotten to meet Winry yet. Another example of the good dying young. Amy prayed that it would be nice wherever she got sent.

"Amy," Ed spoke slowly, "Why did you hit me with a hammer?"

"Self-defense," Amy offered in a nervous tone.

"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO HIT ME WITH A HAMMER! YOU COULD HAVE CRACKED MY SKULL OPEN!"

Amy decided this would be an excellent time to start practicing keeping her mouth shut.

"Brother!" Al cried, happy to see his brother was safe and sound.

"MS. KISHI! THAT WAS A MOST EXCELLENT METHOD!" Armstrong congratulated.

"SHE HIT ME WITH A HAMMER!"

"BUT THE WAY SHE DID IT WAS SO ARTFUL! WHAT FORM ARE YOU USING?"

Amy blinked and then looked at her feet. They were still in her fencing position. Quickly she shifted her feet back to normal.

"It's fencing," she murmured, "I fight with a saber."

"Oh you are a swords master?" Armstrong asked loudly.

Amy inched backwards slightly. She was going to lose her hearing after this.

"No, nothing like that," Amy responded, "I took about a season of fencing. I still have a lot to learn and I'm always trying to improve."

Tears poured out of Armstrong's eyes.

"WHAT A DELIGHTFUL GIRL TO HAVE SUCH A RESOLUTION LIKE THAT!" he bawled, "YOU ARE VERY YOUTHFUL MISS KISHI!"

"_Youthful?_" the color drained from Amy's face, "_That's Gai's word. Armstrong said Gai's word!"_

A mental image of Gai and Armstrong standing next to each other appeared in Amy's mind. They both were muscely, loud, cried a lot, posed, and had sparkles surrounding them.

"_OH NO! The next thing I know Armstrong will start saying youthful every two seconds! MUST CHANGE SUBJECT NOW!"_

"Why don't I tell you about my cover story why we walk to Winry's?" Amy offered eager to get her mind away from her disturbing mental image.

"THAT IS A MOST WONDERFUL IDEA!" Armstrong bellowed, "LET US HEAD FORTH!"

Armstrong then began to run down the dirt road at an alarming speed.

"HEY WAIT!" Ed hollered at the man, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING! AND BRING MY BROTHER BACK HERE!"

Ed began to run after the giant and his brother.

"_I don't know where I'm going either!" _

"Wait!" Amy called, "Hey wait up!"

She began to run after the men. Her sore legs made it hard to follow them and her lungs felt on fire while her backpack bounced on her back. One of her feet caught on a rock and Amy fell to the ground. She hit the ground hard and then began to roll down the sloping road. Rocks embedded into her skin and dirt flew into her face as Amy picked up speed.

"_How do I stop? How do I stop?" _Amy panicked.

Then she felt something hard hit the side of her body and there was a loud crashing sound. Amy's roll came to a sudden halt. She lay on the ground with her eyes closed, breathing heavily and slightly dizzy.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"Amy are you alright?" Al sounded concerned.

Wait when did Al get there?

"Mr. Elric that was quite a show," Armstrong complimented.

"It wasn't a show!" Amy heard Ed growl, "This girl just knocked me over."

Oh, so that was what she had hit.

"Yes, but it was a most wondrous fall," Armstrong commented, "Did you know that we Armstrongs…"

Amy cut the man off before he could launch into a speech.

"I think we should just walk to Winry's," she said, "It will be safer that way."

Pinako stared after her last customer. Honestly automail wasn't that bad. If Edward could do it then so could a full grown man. But everybody wasn't Edward. Pinako smirked. No everyone wasn't Edward that was true. A barking sound reached Pinako's ears.

"Hm, What is it, Den?" she asked her dog.

Pinako looked at the path. Oh now there were some familiar faces.

"So they've come now, eh?" the old lady smiled.

"Winry," she called, "We've got some special guests! Winry!"

The older women then turned her attention to the road.

"Aren't we looking lively?" she questioned the boy she had known since his birth.

"We need your help again Auntie Pinako," Ed answered.

Pinako walked up the group. Ed truly was one of a kind.

"Who are these people?" she asked coolly while motioning to the unfamiliar faces.

One was a tall man with big muscles and a single blond curl. He was wearing a suit and looked to be twice Ed's age and height. The other was shorter then the man and also a female. She had short blond hair that stuck out from under a cap and had cuts and bruises all over her. Currently she looked slightly nervous and was standing behind Al's box. What was the boy doing in a box anyway? Sometimes Pinako wondered what the boy's had been up to, but she knew they would never tell her anyway. It was their burden to bear; she was only here to help.

"This is Major Armstrong," Ed introduced the tall man and Armstrong stuck his hand out.

Pinako shook it, "Pinako Rockbell."

"The girl over there is Amy Kishi," Ed said while pointing to the female.

"It's an honor to meet an automail specialist like you," the girl spoke in a small voice.

Pinako smiled. Well wasn't she a polite one? Looked a little on the shy side though. Hopefully she would warm up to them soon.

"It's nice to see you all," Pinako told them while removing her pipe from her mouth, "But in the time you've been gone, Ed got small."

Compared to the giant man and the girl, Ed certainly looked like he had shrunk.

"WHO DID YOU SAY WAS SMALL, MINI HAG?" Ed roared.

"OH YEAH, ULTRA SQUIRT!" Pinako retorted angrily. This boy needed to learn some respect for his elders and to accept the fact that HE WAS SHORT!

"MIDGET HAG!"

"MICRO-SQUIRT!"

"FLEA-SIZED HAG!"

"EDWARD!" a new voice interrupted Pinako and Ed's match.

Ed froze and Pinako smirked. They both knew what was coming next. Pinako and Ed both turned to face the house. When Ed turned around a wrench smacked him right in the forehead sending the kid into the ground. Pinako chuckled. That should teach him.

"DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO CALL BEFORE YOU CAME?" Winry shouted from the second story porch.

Ed got off the ground holding a bloody bump.

"WINRY, YOU JACKASS," he yelled, "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?"

Someone laughed slightly at the comment and Pinako could see the new girl holding a hand over her mouth in an effort to stop the giggles.

"Welcome home!" Winry greeted as if she hadn't just hit Ed with a flying inanimate object.

"Yeah," Ed muttered sourly.

"I'm home," Al said happily.

"Let's go inside." Pinako offered with a smile.

Kids would be kids. This was just Edward and Winry's way of greeting. The group followed Pinako towards the door. The Major was dragging behind two boxes while Ed and the girl only had a small bag.

"What's in the other box?" Pinako asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's my stuff. Well not all my stuff. I mean the box isn't full of all my stuff. Just some of my stuff. Really it's not even my stuff," the girl rambled nervously.

"Just take the books out and let's go inside," Ed interrupted, "I'm hungry."

The girl shot Ed an angry look, but obliged. Armstrong lifted Al up and the girl opened the second box. She leaned over the edge of the box and scooped up something. Unsteadily the girl stood upright. In her hands she was holding seven books stacked up so that her face could no longer be seen.

"Some help please," she asked in a small voice.

"WHY CERTAINLY MS. KISHI!" Armstrong bellowed.

The girl jumped but then settled down and the big man tucked three of the books under his free arm. Pinako proceeded to open the door and welcomed them all inside. Ed made himself right at home in the living room and Armstrong put Al down near his brother before taking a seat of his own. The girl awkwardly put her books down next to Al and stood near him looking out of place.

"_Such a strange girl,"_ Pinako thought.

"I'll go get you something to drink," Pianko said.

"Let me be of help, Mrs. Rockbell," Armstrong offered.

"Thank you, just follow me to the kitchen," Pinako told the man before turning around and heading towards the back of the house.

* * *

(It's all dark except for one spotlight on Tigger)

Tigger: Tiggeranddash productions presents the one and only over 250 reviews party!

(Everything lights up)

Tigger: Welcome to Tiggery Island! On the north end of the island we have the natural attractions such as waterfalls you can jump off of. On the west half we have amuesment park rides of all kinds. On the east half we have a giant buffet going on. And here on the south end of the island we have the fun Torture-A-FMA-Character games!

Amy: We have all the classics including the Whack-an-Ed, the Whack-An-Envy, or the Whack-A-Mustang. We also have Pin the Palms on the Gender Confused Palmtree or Dunk the Fire Alchemist in the DunkTank. Tigger will also be playing the video of Mustang's torture and a video of people calling Ed short!

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY THAT HE ONLY TAKES UP ONE PIXAL ON THE SCREEN!

Tigger: Shut it Ed!

Amy: Yeah. (sweatdrop) Please enjoy yourselves and the party will continue next cahpter so please submit ideas for torture for Envy and Mustang.

(Stampede of reviewers)

Ali-san: Thank you very much!


	29. Hammers Meet Wrenches

Tigger: HAPPY BELATED HALLOWEEN PEOPLE! For all you who know what that is.

Ed: What are you babbling about now?

Tigger: Halloween! It's a wondrous holiday were you dress up in costumes and go door to door and get free candy. I was Link for Halloween!

Ed: Aren't you too old for that stuff?

Tigger: You are never too old for candy!

Ed: You avoided my question.

Amy: In honor of that everyone has to wear Halloween costumes for this chapter. You can wear a costume this entire chapter!

Tigger: Plus we're going to torture Mustang and Envy while they're in costume.

Amy: Okay guys bring them in!

(Envy and Mustang are lowered in from the ceiling in giant plastic cubes)

Tigger: These cubes are fireproof, bulletproof, and generally unbreakable.

Amy: Which is why it is great for the torturing.

Tigger: Now before this chapter begins. (Claps and Mustang appears in a short pink mini skirt. Envy appears in a plam tree costume.) Let the chapter start!

Al: Aren't you forgetting something?

Tigger: Like to thank lilypop8, Stteph., Wandering Hitokiri, Chibi-dj, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, TheWinchesterAngel, YukinoKara, Hanapple, UnbornHope, vampgirl16, Shadowess 88, Emalee Roze, Arden Anam, WhiteWingAlchemist, Fallen Oblivion Angel, Lonelyfairy, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Twilightstorm1993, and Ria442?

Al: Yes but I mean the disclaimer.

Tigger: But I don't want to.

Auntie Senile: DO IT YOU INGRATE!

Tigger: Yes mam! I do not own FMA or any its characters, ideas, or plots. I do however own OCs like Amy, Amy's family, and Auntie Senile (I have no idea what I was thinking when I made her).

Auntie Senile: WHAT DID YOU SAY?

Tigger: Gah! Let the chapter begin!

* * *

Amy stood next to Al nervously. She couldn't believe she was in the Rockbell household. It seemed too good to be true. There was real automail in this house. People who could build automail lived in this house. Amy could meet Winry! Amy's already shot nerves seemed to go into overtime. What should she say? How should she introduce herself? She had to keep her cover story in mind. She had to make a good first impression. Should Al and Ed speak first? Yes, it was their home. Should she begin a conversation or should Winry? Should she bring up automail? Or should she wait until Winry mentioned it? What should she talk about? Amy was staying here for a couple of days until Ed got his automail fixed, and she didn't want to be a burden. Maybe she should offer to help? But Amy knew nothing about the mechanics of automail. Plus she was supposed to be studying for her big test. Would it seem rude if she spent all her time reading? It was better then hanging over Winry's shoulder right? What did Pinako think of her? She had made such a fool of herself before with the book situation. A nervous sweat began to form on Amy's neck.

"_GAH! I can't sweat it will make me look bad," _Amy berated herself, "_I have to make a good first impression. Winry is my idol."_

"Here you go," Pinako said coming into the room with Armstrong behind her

Armstrong was holding a tray which he placed on the coffee table in the center of the room. Five mugs sat on the tray in a circle. Ed took a cup and leaned back into the couch. Armstrong also took a cup and so did Pinako. Amy hesitated. One of the cups had to be for her right? The only other person who could take a cup was Winry. So that must mean one was for her. Amy still didn't move. What if it was a custom here to make one more cup then they planned on serving? It seemed silly but Amy knew nothing about this country. She didn't want to do something wrong.

"Are you not thirsty?" Pinako asked Amy.

Amy jumped slightly and blushed.

"Oh no, I was just thinking," Amy told her.

Quickly, Amy walked over to the tray and picked a cup. It was warm and steam rose from the drink. The drink had a slight cinnamon-like smell to it and was a dark brown. Careful not to burn herself she took a small sip. It tasted like a cinnamon bun with added chocolate.

"This is really good," Amy complimented, "What is it?"

"You've never had this drink before? I'm surprise I thought everyone in this country has had it," Pinako confessed.

Warning bells signaled in Amy's brain. She couldn't let anyone know that she wasn't from Amestrsis otherwise she would be locked up in jail by the military. Mustang could only protect Amy so much.

"_Quick remember your cover story,"_ she instructed herself.

The story was basic. According to the story Amy was born in Amestrsis, this way she wouldn't have to take a citizenship test. Her parents were foreigners who snuck into the country illegally, that was supposed to explain why there was no record of Amy or Amy's parents. Amy's family, including her two younger sisters, lived in the woods by Auntie Senile and she was the only person who knew about them. Two months ago there was a huge fire and both Amy's house and family burned to the ground. Since then Amy had lived with Auntie Senile. A few days ago Amy apparently decided enough was enough and that she was going to move on with her life. She decided to join the military so that she could serve her country and see the world outside the forest she grew up in. In his letter Mustang said it was this or that she got raised by wild chipmunks. Amy decided to stick with the former.

"Amy's got foreign parents," Ed lied without taking his eyes off his mug, "She doesn't know anything about our country."

"Okay Edward what did you do to your automail now?" Winry questioned walking into the room.

Amy froze. What should she do now? Did she say hi or be quiet? Winry probably wanted to talk to Ed and Al first though. Amy's heart started racing. Damn nerves! They weren't helping. Amy decided to make herself appear as small as possible and backed up into a corner. That way she wouldn't get in the way. Winry was an idol to her! There was no way she was going to mess this up.

Winry paused as she entered the room and took in the sight before her. Ed with only one arm.

"WHAAAAAA!!" she exclaimed.

"Oh sorry, I got it busted," Ed apologized, although one could tell he wasn't really upset about the automail.

Amy watched as Winry started to shake. Maybe it was a good thing she had picked a corner. She really didn't fancy getting hit with a wrench.

"BUSTED-UP!" Winry screeched, "Wait one minute! Just how were you using that first class automail that I painstakingly made?!"

"It got smashed into little pieces," Ed chuckled as if it was no big deal.

Amy felt kind of bad for Winry. It sounded like she had worked really hard on that piece of automail. She continued to watch as she saw Winry's soul seemingly fly away. Being in a manga was weird like that. A loud thwack could be heard and when Amy looked Ed had a wrench in his skull.

"_That's got to hurt!"_ she winced.

"So what happened?" Winry asked still ticked off, "And why's Al busted up? Just what were you guys doing?"

"Erggh," Al said while shrinking down in his box.

"Hey Winry, Amy is a big fan of yours," Ed said in an effort to distract Winry and her wrath.

"_I'm going to kill you Edward Elric!"_

Amy became more nervous as Winry turned to face her. She couldn't talk to Winry. It was impossible! But she was going to do it! She would get to talk to Winry! One of her favorite characters ever! A mix of nervousness and happiness spread through Amy's body giving her a slight jittery feeling. Her throat seemed to close up and her heart was pounding way too rapidly to be healthy.

"A fan really?" Winry asked.

Amy nodded too awestruck to say words. Winry had just talked to her! Winry Rockbell had just talked to her!

In less then a second Winry was in front of Amy.

"I'm so happy! I've never had a fan before! Is my work that great? Tell me all about you. I want to know more about my first fan!" Winry exclaimed.

"I'm Amy," Amy managed to squeak out, "I really like your work. I think it's amazing what you can do."

Sparkles came to Winry's eyes.

"Thank you so much! I've never had anyone appreciate my work like that! If you ever go missing a body part, come to me and I promise I'll build you some automail!"

Amy's chest swelled with happiness. Winry was talking to her! Winry liked her! Winry said she would build her automail if she ever needed it! This was amazing.

"Thank you," Amy thanked her, "It means a lot to me to hear that!"

"My first fan!" Winry celebrated, "Tell me more about you."

Amy smiled. Did this mean she and Winry were becoming friends? That would be awesome if that happened.

"Winry, what about my automail?" Ed asked now that Winry was emitting a murderous aurora.

"Be quiet Ed," Winry ordered her anger coming back in a second, "I bet Amy wouldn't break my automail."

"I would try my best not to," Amy admitted sheepishly, "I'm sort of a klutz though."

Amy would definitely try not to break Winry's automail. One Winry had made it and two she didn't fancy the idea of being hit with a wrench.

"That would explain the bruises," Pinako pointed out.

"Amy fell down a hill on her way here," Al told them.

Amy blushed slightly. She didn't want Winry to think of her badly. Maybe Winry didn't like klutzy people? Amy hoped not.

"Why don't you go take a shower?" Winry offered, "I have something you can put on your cuts afterwards."

"I couldn't," Amy refused, "I don't want to be a burden."

"Nonsense, you're traveling with these guys right?" Winry asked motioning to the Elric brothers.

Amy nodded.

"Then you have to stay here while Ed gets repairs. You can even stay in my room, if you don't mind the floor," Winry laughed.

"Thank you very much, but I couldn't do that to you," Amy tried to refuse again.

"It's no problem. Come on I'll take you to the shower now," Winry said.

Amy barely had a chance to put her cup down before Winry dragged her out of the room.

Ed and Al stared after them in disbelief.

"What just happened?" Ed asked with wide eyes.

"I think Winry made a new friend," Al replied.

********************************************************************************************************************

Amy emerged from the bathroom clean and bandaged. Her dirty clothes were in one arm and her bag of bathroom supplies under the other. She shook her wet head like a dog to shed some of the excess water. Then she ran a hand through the short locks in order to comb it back down.

"_Winry is the best person I have ever met!" _Amy decided happily.

Not only had Winry offered her a shower and a place to sleep but had also given Amy some of her old clothes when Amy explained her clothing situation. She only had four pairs of clothes and they were all dirty. Amy was now wearing an old form fitting brown tee-shirt and a pair of black slacks. The shower had made Amy feel great. The warm water had relaxed her poor tired muscles while washing away the dirt and grease she had picked up. Of course afraid to be a burden Amy had taken a very speedy shower and made sure everything was in order before leaving the bathroom. But what to do now?

"_I should start studying," _she reminded herself.

Amy did some calculations in her head. She had wasted half a day and it would take three days for Ed's automail to be repaired; she remembered that from the series. They would probably leave on the fourth day which meant Amy would have to stay in Central for ten days. Mustang's letter explained she would be staying with some military officers until she took the test in Central. His letter also stated there would a physical exam, an oral exam, and then a written portion.

"_Sort of like the State Alchemist test except without any alchemy," _Amy thought, "_Physical will be to make sure I'm in shape. Oral for my speaking skills. Written for my knowledge."_

The written part of the exam would be the easiest if Amy studied enough. Physical would be okay. Amy was in average shape so unless they demanded ten thousand push-ups she should be fine. It was the oral that would be the hardest. Talking to strangers, especially members of authority would be hard for her. Amy had enough trouble asking her previous boss for her paycheck. Now she would have to lie in front of the leaders of a country. Her stomach dropped at that thought and Amy felt a bit weaker.

"_I have to think it about it later," _she told herself, "_I should study first. My first goal will be to read all the books before we leave the Rockbell's."_

Taking a deep breathe Amy went to go look for Winry. She needed to thank her and ask her where her books were.

"_It would be nice if I knew where things were," _Amy thought.

Winry had given Amy a very small and speedy tour of the house. Which resulted in Amy becoming flushed and remembering only the location of the bathroom and Winry's room. Neither of which would help her because Winry did not do her work in her room.

"Maybe I should just stand here until someone finds me," Amy muttered.

It was true that eventually someone would come across Amy, but how long till then? Winry was probably working on Ed's automail and so was Pinako. Armstrong was probably chopping wood or doing some other 'manly' job. Al couldn't move and Ed was probably walking around town. So Amy would be stuck there. Then again Amy could go look around, but that was an invasion of privacy.

"_I should put my stuff down first,"_ Amy added as an afterthought, "_Let's see Winry's room was…that one!" _Amy declared finding the room.

Shyly she walked over to the door and knocked, making sure no one was in it. There was no response. Quietly Amy reached out and turned the knob. The door creaked open and Amy poked her head in. She let out a sigh of relief. It was Winry's room and it was empty. After closing the door behind her, Amy headed over to the pile of sheets and pillows on the floor. That would be where she would be sleeping. Around her bed was a ring of miscellaneous objects that Winry had had to shove out of the way. Winry explained to Amy that it had been busy the past few days and she hadn't gotten around to cleaning. Piles of clothes were on the floor along with sketches of machine pieces and various tools. Behind the pillows was Amy's bag, her books, and the brown paper bag her cell mates had stuffed in her crate.

"_Someone moved my stuff for me. I'll have to thank them later."_

Amy smiled. People in this world were very nice and considerate. Not that there weren't people like that back home, but it was harder to find them. Everybody was concerned with their own lives, yet the people here seemed to always have some time to help others. Amy's stomach clenched. Her friend Allison was like that. She was willing to help others to any extent and always apologized for offering to help. Allison was sweet like that.

"_No, I can't think like that!" _Amy berated herself, "_I'll be home soon enough. I just got to hang on. I just have to be strong. No more break downs for me."_

Taking another look at the books Amy sighed. Those were some pretty thick books. Maybe she would skip exploring. That way she could start studying and if someone needed her it would be easy to find her. Amy placed her pillows against a bug clunky machine on Winry's floor and rested against them. She picked a book from the pile. It was titled Amestrsis: A Military Country. Amy dismissed any thoughts about her weird predicament and opened the large book.

* * *

Tigger: It's now time for our wonderful show! TORTURE MUSTANG AND ENVY!

Amy: I think these pictures are torture enough.

Tigger: Enough is never enough!

Ed: Cause that makes sense.

Tigger: Shut it Ed!

Amy: First off, we're going to add some companions to Mustang's tank!

(Amy claps and a bunch of men appear in Mustang's tank)

Tigger: Mustang the playboy meet these homosexual men. Homosexual men meet Mustang.

Man 1: Oh he's so pretty.

Man 2: Very pretty.

Mustang: Look gentlemen I appreciate that you know fine beauty when you see it but I'm straight.

Man 1: That's what they all say.

Mustang: TIGGER!

Tigger: We're letting our audience know that no homosexuals we're harmed during the making of this chapter only Mustang and Envy.

Amy: Now moving onto Envy. Hand do your work.

(Giant hand comes and grabs Envy's tank and begins to shake it up and down.)

Envy: Damn you Tigger!

Tigger: I'm afraid that's all the time we have folks. Join us next time for...

Auntie Senile: WAIT I DIDN'T GET TO DO MY OBSTACLE COURSE OF DOOM!

Amy: Oh no not that!

Tigger: SORRYREVIEWERSGOTTORUNSEEYANEXTTIMEPLEASEREVIEW!

(Tigger and Amy run away.)


	30. Ups and Downs of Resimbool

(Tigger, Amy, Al, Ed, lilypop8, Ria442, WhiteWingAlchemist, Emalee Roze, Wandering Hitokiri, YukinoKara, SakuraKawai, n a g a s h i . n o . k u r o, ScaryKelp, the sugar-crazed alchemist, Stteph., XcrazyXookamiX, Shadowess 88, Lonelyfairy, Alaythea-Mo0nl1ghtRes0nance, The Moon's Darkerside, and The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist are watching television.)

Tigger: Gah! Ouch! Oh!

Amy: That looked like it hurt.

Al: Oh!

Ed: I am reminded of our teacher.

Tigger: Except Auntie Senile is scarier.

(Everyone nods their heads)

Ali-san: (walks in and notices everyone) What are you watching? I mean sorry for interrupting!

Tigger: Obstacle Course of Doom.

Amy: It's painful just to watch.

Ali-san: Obstacle Course of Doom?

Tigger: Just watch (Ali-san comes over and sits down)

(On the screen Mustang and Envy are blindfolded and running across a bridge over molten lava while monkeys hang on their backs. They both have numerous cuts on them and a large chunk of Envy's hair is missing. Envy trips and falls while his monkey pulls at the remainder of his hair.)

Envy: I swear when I get my hands on that bitch she is going to regret ever laying eyes on me.

Auntie Senile: (from off screen) WHAT DID YOU SAY SONNY?

Envy: CRAZY OLD LADY!

Auntie Senile: EAT COOKIES YOU'RE TOO SKINNY! (throws cookies shaped like ninja stars at Envy)

Envy: OW! BITCH!

Auntie Senile: MAN IT UP!

Mustang: I knew I should have stayed in bed today.

Auntie Senile: PHASE 15!

Mustang/ Envy: NO!

(Random objects start to be thrown at the two and Mustang gets knocked out with a Barbie doll)

Ali-san: 0.0

Amy: And we're not even halfway through the video.

(Disclaimer pops up on television screen saying that Tigger does not nor has ever owned FMA.)

Tigger: NOW EVEN THE TV IS AGAINST ME!

* * *

"Winry, go get ready for dinner!" Winry heard her grandma yell at her.

Winry took a screw out of her mouth and placed her screwdriver on her worktable.

"Alright Granny," she replied while putting some of her stuff away.

She ended up placing all her tools in a pile, she would put them away later she told herself, and headed upstairs. Winry sighed as she trudged the familiar staircase, it was nice having Ed and Al back but they always brought so much work with them. Couldn't they ever just visit for fun or to see how she was doing? Winry smiled at that thought. Ed taking a break from his important business, what a laugh. As long as Winry could remember Ed had always been a determined boy. Once Ed set his mind to something there were few things that could stop him. Although her wrench did a good job of stopping the boy. She had gotten to catch up with Al while she worked. Of course Al avoided mentioning anything that had to do with why he and his brother were so beat up, but they had a nice chat anyway. Al had explained to Winry why Amy was traveling with them. Apparently she was going to take a huge test so that she could enter the military without going to military school. Al had said that Major Armstrong was in charge of watching her and the Elric brothers so they had to travel together for now. Amy had run into them while in the Eastern. When Winry had asked specifics Al had danced around the subject, which made Winry believe Amy was there when Ed and Al were beaten.

"_I want to know who destroyed my precious automail!" _Winry thought clenching her fist.

Who in their right minds would destroy her wonderful piece of artwork? Definitely not Amy she was a fan of automail. Hm, maybe she could weasel an answer out of the girl. Speaking of which where was that girl? Winry hadn't seen her since she escorted her to the shower and that had been a couple of hours ago. Could she still be in there? No, they only had so much hot water and after that it got freezing. Anyone would leave the shower when it became that cold. Winry would look for her after changing her shirt. Grease stains were not appropriate dinner wear when they had two guests over. Winry sighed, did she have any clean clothes? Opening the door, Winry looked into her room. Immediately she spotted Amy reading a textbook.

"Hey Amy," Winry greeted.

Amy jumped and looked at her startled.

"Sorry, didn't mean to spook you there," Winry apologized waving a hand.

She had forgotten how into books some people get. The Elric brothers were a great example of this. Sometimes it took a shout in the ear to get them to notice her presence.

"No, it's okay," Amy offered her face a light pink, "It was my fault anyway."

"You're too nice," Winry complained, "I would feel bad if I tried to weasel something out of you."

"I'm sorry?" Amy responded unsurely.

"You are too cute," Winry gushed crushing Amy in a hug.

"Merci beacoup," Amy stammered shyly while turning a bright red.

Winry pulled back from the hug and examined Amy from an arms length. What had she just said? Mersee bow cup? What did that mean?

"I mean thank you," Amy quickly caught onto her mistake, "I'm sorry I had foreigner parents."

Did she just say had? Winry decided not to mention it. She knew how painful it was to lose one's parents. It was like there was a giant hole in your chest that couldn't be replaced. Sure over time Winry had been able to move on. To enjoy her life with the Elric brothers and her grandmother, but there was always a special place in her heart for her parents. As she got older not only did she miss her parents but she missed what life would be like if she still had her parents. Winry had sometimes wondered how her life would be different is her parents hadn't been killed. Would she still be an automailist or would she had become a doctor like her parents? Would her mother wake her up like she used to when she was little? Would her father still read medical books at breakfast? Winry would never know.

"A foreigner?" Winry asked interested, "You must tell me more at dinner."

"Dinner?" Amy repeated.

"Yeah if you go stand outside I can get ready and we'll go down together," Winry told her.

"Uhm okay," Amy bowed her head and headed out the door.

Winry smiled. Amy really was a sweet girl, she just needed to open up more and be less shy. And Winry had just the plan to do it. Quickly she grabbed a black tank top from her clean pile and put it on. She really needed to clean her room soon. Deciding that was a task for another time, Winry exited her room.

"Ready," Winry said to Amy.

Amy nodded and walked beside Winry as they headed downstairs. Winry wanted to start a conversation but she couldn't think of the right thing to say. Amy looked like she want to say something too but was too shy to do so.

"_I've got it!_"

Loud noises could be heard from the kitchen. It sounded a little like someone throwing a fit and shouting. The words short and midget could be heard also.

"Ed," both she and Amy stated at the same time.

"Does he have to throw a fit every time someone mentions his height?" Winry half-growled, half-complained.

"Yes," Amy answered, "Yes he does."

Winry sighed. Even the new girl knew Ed had height problems, not that it was that hard to figure out.

"EDWARD ELRIC I LEAVE YOU ALONE FOR FIVE MINUTES AND YOU ARE RAMPAGING THROUGH MY HOUSE!" Winry shouted releasing some pent up anger while whipping out her wrench.

"Where did that come from?" she head Amy ask.

******************************************************************************************************************

Amy yawned as she turned another page. It was the third day of staying at the Rockbell's and tomorrow they would leave. Ed's automail would be put on tonight before dinner and they would leave tomorrow morning. Winry had given Amy some more clothes for her to wear and had washed all of her dirty clothes. Amy's bags were basically packed, although she had never really unpacked, and she was down to her last book. It was amazing how much history one little country could have. As it turns out Amestrsis itself, wasn't really that old, it reminded Amy of the United States. The country had spent most of its short history fighting and expanding its borders. It was a militaristic country and the Furher called most of the shots. He seemed to be a cross between a dictator and a president. The Furher also had a group of high-ranking military officials who helped him make decisions. There was something odd about the books she had been reading though. Not a single piece mentioned anything bad about the country. It was almost like the authors had been bribed by the military to write good things about them which was very likely.

"_I should be wary," _Am thought, "_This country is based off Germany around the World Wars time period. I've had enough history class to know the terrible effects Hitler had on his country and the world. If I'm not careful I could stumble upon something unwanted."_

Her stomach did some nervous twists at this thought.

"_Way to go Amy you spooked yourself," _she congratulated herself.

Putting those thoughts to the side, Amy continued on reading. Amy would like to say she was now an expert in this country's history, military tactics, weapons, power, economy, and pretty much anything else that had to do with the military or ruling the country. It wasn't enough though. After finishing all the books Amy decided she was going to reread the books while making study guides. Then she would memorize all the study guides and read the books once more before her test. If that wasn't being prepared she didn't know what was. Amy decided she was going to wing the oral and physical part. She didn't know how to prepare for either and Amy was always good at improvising as long as she didn't focus on everyone staring at her.

Amy turned another page in her book and continued reading. Besides the books only focusing on the bright side of Amestrsis they were also very dull. Very very dull. Her history book had been more exciting then this!

"_I'm missing summer vacation," _she thought with remorse.

School had ended just days before she was sucked into this universe. Her finals were over, her summer reading could be done in August, and the weather had been gorgeous. Amy had been all pumped up about hanging out with friends and doing weird stuff. Instead she was here.

"_Think on the bright side," _her optimistic side reminded her, "_This will be the most awesome summer story anyone has ever experienced."_

_"Like anyone will believe us," _her pessimistic side stepped in, "_They'll lock me us in asylum if we were to spill the beans about what happened."_

_"Spilt milk is more appeasing then spilt beans," _her optimistic side chided, "_Plus we'll have proof. Clothes, books, knowledge, and maybe even a military rank; they'll have to believe us! Besides this is the adventure of a lifetime! This will never happen EVER again! Enjoy it while you can!"_

"This really is once in a lifetime," Amy muttered, "Oh man I can't believe I've been here for almost a whole week."

When had so much time go by? Shouldn't each second be agonizingly slow to remind her that this was not realistic in the slightest? Why was time speeding by? How did she just read three days away? Time was precious. Amy wanted to be back before summer was over. She should absorb every second because she would never get it back.

"_Focus," _she instructed herself.

Fifteen minutes passed in silence as Amy continued reading. She reached the last page and went to grab another from her 'read me' pile, but her hand grasped nothing.

"I finished!" she realized happily, "Sweetness! I'm going to tell the others! I finished before Ed even got his automail! Pizazz!"

Amy felt the excitement flow through her veins and it made her a bit hyper. She stood up from her sitting position and did a mini victory dance.

"I finished! I finished!" she cheered, "Haha take that books!"

Amy left the room with an extra spring in her step. During the past few days she had learned her way around the house and could now successfully navigate through it without becoming hopelessly lost. Yet Amy preferred to stay to one of the three rooms she knew best: Winry's bedroom, the bathroom, and the dinning room. Actually Amy hadn't left the house since she stepped inside it. She was too focused on studying then enjoying the beautiful county. Cautiously, because she had already fallen down the stairs previously, Amy headed downstairs. It was fairly easy to locate where most people where in the house, no one except for Amy and Al were quiet people by nature. And even though Amy had opened up a little more in the past few days, she was still very shy and was being super polite to Winry and Mrs. Rockbell.

Indeed Amy's theory held true when she heard Winry scolding Ed about being a wimp. She followed the sound and realized they were in the operating room, probably attaching Ed's automail. Amy blushed remembering Ed wouldn't be fully dressed and decided to stay away from that room for a while. She would go tell Al the good news.

"_He's probably outside," _Amy noted before heading off to find him.

Amy opened the door and squinted into the sunshine. Resimbool was its usual gorgeous self outside. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Amy looked around. Al was near the side of the house in his box. It seemed he was surveying the scene before him. Quietly Amy walked up to him, she didn't want to disturb his ruminating.

"Hey Al," she greeted.

"Oh hi Amy," Al looked up at her, "How is the studying going?"

"I finished all my books," Amy announced proudly, sounding similar to a child wanting to impress his or her parents.

"Good job," Al cheered.

Amy blushed and looked at her toes.

"Thanks," she said embarrassed, "Maybe now I won't epically fail."

"Epically fail?" Al repeated confused.

Amy's grew red and stammered a bit. How could she forget that she was in a different era where her slang didn't exist? They didn't even have televisions in yet!

"Slang from my world," Amy explained quickly, "Sorry I forgot."

"Eh! There's no reason to apologize," Al babbled nervously, "I mean it's great that you're using language from your country. It shows how much it means to you and you wouldn't want to forget while staying here. Not that we won't get you back home soon."

Amy fiddled with the corner of her shirt and hid her blush. It was really great that someone cared about her so much. What made it even better was that it was Alphonse Elric, one of the sweetest guys in the manga world and one of her heroes. Amy really didn't deserve to be here with her favorite characters. There were probably others from her time more suited to the task of being transported to a different world and a few fangirls who would complain less then Amy. Really Amy thought she was a bit of a burden. All the same Al was treating her nicely and it meant so much to Amy.

"Thanks. It means a lot to me to hear that," Amy admitted still focusing on her shirt, "To come from one someone I look up to it's really a great feeling."

Al looked embarrassed but both were spared the further development of their embarrassing conversation by Ed bursting outside, followed by Armstrong. Ed was fully equipped with new automail and the Major was carrying the sack with Al's body parts in it.

"Al, sorry for making you wait!" Ed yelled.

Both men jogged over and Armstrong laid the pieces out on a sheet and put Al on top. Amy backed up, wanting to watch but not get in the way.

"Are these all the pieces?" Ed asked looking over the piles.

"Yes the East City Soldiers gathered them all," Al answered.

"No thanks to a certain someone," Ed muttered.

"Sorry," Amy squeaked feeling slightly guilty.

"It's not your fault Amy," Al objected, "Brother's being rude."

"Be nice or I'll put your arm on backwards," Ed threatened.

"I could still beat you in a fight," Al retorted.

"You wish!"

"Brother, I beat you every time we spar."

"That's because I let you win cause I'm such a great older brother that way."

"You're such a bad liar brother. Besides we both know my skills are better then yours. You have no patience."

"HEY!"

"It's true!"

"I DO SO HAVE PATIENCE!"

Amy felt a sweatdrop form on the back of her. They were really carefree at the moment weren't they?

"Ms. Kishi how goes your quest for knowledge?" Armstrong asked drawing Amy's attention away from the brothers' debate.

"I finished all my books," Amy chirped happily.

"THAT IS MOST WONDERFUL MS. KISHI!" Armstrong bellowed, "YOU ARE ONE OF A KIND!"

Amy eeped and stepped farther away from the man. She had no desire to be hugged. Ed and Al had stopped fighting and were focusing on the Major and Amy's conversation.

"Thank you very much," Amy thanked, hoping Armstrong wouldn't notice the nervous twitch she was developing when he spoke.

"Impressive," was all Ed said.

Amy brightened at this comment. It wasn't everyday she received a compliment from Edward Elric.

"I could do better though," Ed smirked.

"Brother," Al chided.

"You watch Edward Elric," Amy declared feeling a sudden sense of courage; hey she needed to protect her pride, "I'll pass that test with flying colors!"

"I look forward to it," Ed smirked again and turned towards Al, "Ready?"

Al nodded and Ed removed Al's helmet. Amy barely heard Armstrong question the brothers about the blood seal. Did Edward Elric just encourage her? Was he trying to make her do better? Even though they fought and he thought she was untrustworthy, did he try to persuade her to give it her all? Did that mean he trusted her, if even a tiny bit? Was there relationship improving? Would she become friends with Edward Elric? Amy felt slightly giddy at the thought. One point for the anti-ultra obsessed fangirls!

Amy was snapped out of her thoughts by a giant wind rustling her short hair. Lights flashed, the wind picked up, and Al looked like he was being together in pixel sized pieces by lightening.

"Wow," Amy gasped.

Alchemy was amazing no matter how she looked at it. It may have been a science but it resembled magic. A magical science in a sense.

"Ok, now let's," Ed began while tying up his hair.

Ed never finished because Al brought down his newly attached arm on Ed. Ed flipped backwards while blocking with his automail arm. He landed on the ball of his feet and slid backwards for a second before avoiding Al's punch and doing a kick handstand.

Amy realized what was going on and decided it would be better if she got out of the way. Although the brothers would never hit her on purpose (okay maybe Ed would) and it was very unlikely she would get hit with a stray punch, the chances of her tripping and falling into the brawl were very likely. She went to stand behind Armstrong, reasoning he would be a good shield. The two watched the brothers exchange a few more hits, before Armstrong spoke.

"Why are you fighting? Are the two of you in an argument?" he asked in concern.

"No, no," Ed replied blocking another hit, "I combining a performance check for my new limbs with some sparring."

"And I wasn't able to use my body for a while so I have to restore a sense of feeling in it," Al finished explaining.

"Hohoho," Armstrong said sounding like a Santa gone wrong, "THEN I SHALL ASSIST YOU!"

His shirt was gone before the sentence was finished and he was in full sparkle mode. Al, Amy, and Ed became very nervous at the sight of the man and the two brothers tried to make a break for it.

"I SHALL GO ALL OUT!" Armstrong bellowed while grabbing the back of Ed's shirt.

"Don't come near me!" Al shouted in fear.

"_Now will be a great time to leave," _Amy decided and she began to slink back towards the house.

"MS. KISHI YOU MUST JOIN US!" Armstrong shouted, "I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF YOUR SKILLS!"

"Gah!" Amy yelped before beginning to sprint towards the front door.

There was no way she wanted to be near a shirtless Armstrong. She would choke on a sparkle or something! Her legs and lungs burned as she neared the steps.

"_So close," _she thought reaching out a hand to grasp the door.

Suddenly she felt a hand grabbing her t-shirt.

"_Oh no!"_

"JOIN US MS. KISHI!" Armstrong yelled before literally throwing Amy backwards through the air.

"FRICK!" Amy screeched as she shut her eyes tightly.

Her body tensed, preparing for impact, while her heart hammered in her ears. Adrenaline surged through her body as fear struck her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel gravity pulling her down as she sailed through the air.

"_I'M GOING TO DIE! I'M GOING TO DIE! I'M GOING TO DIE!" _

Amy hit the ground on her back and skidded backwards. Dirt flew in her face and her entire body felt like a limp ragdoll. Her heart still beat at unsafe speed while her muscles were still tense. She stayed frozen like that for a several seconds before she cracked open an eyelid.

"_I'm alive!" _her brain cheered.

She let out a sigh of relief and her body relaxed. There was no way she was going to do that again.

"I SHALL NOT HOLD BACK!"

Amy bolted upright at the sound of Armstrong's declaration. She wasn't safe here! She needed to escape this crazy man. Quickly Amy hurried up and tried to bolt through the doors again.

"NICE TRY MS. KISHI BUT WE ARMSTRONGS POSSES HAWK LIKE EYES!"

Then he proceeded to throw Amy back into the brawl.

* * *

Tigger: (munching on ninja star cookie) There were a lot of new people that reviewed last chapter.

Amy: I know. (takes a bit out of a cookie)

Ali-san: That's amazing. (is eating a cookie)

Tigger: Some of them have been following this story since the beginning and never reviewed before.

Amy: It's amazing there are so many people who read this story.

Ali-san: They really like your story Tigger.

Tigger: (blushes) I'm not that good.

Amy: Although most people think you're some evil hyper fan of the show.

Tigger: I have more character depth then that! (Ali-san and Amy stare at her in disbelief) I just don't feel like showing it.

Ali-san: Maybe your fans would like to help us. I mean sorry for suggesting that!

Amy: Some help would be nice.

Tigger: I agree.

(Tigger, Amy, and Ali-san are sitting on a bench which is perched on a thin wire stretched across some boiling hot lava)

Amy: Auntie Senile sure has a sick sense of humor.

Tigger: Yep.

Auntie Senile: (from dry land) DON'T MAKE ME THROW MORE COOKIES AT YOU!

Ali-san: Where does she keep getting all the lava?

Tigger: Beats me.


	31. Battle of the Sparkle and Friendships

Tigger: So tired.

Ed: (eating chips) And we care why?

Tigger: CAUSE I AM THE MASTER OF YOUR FATE!

Ed: Right. (rolls eyes)

Tigger: Just be thankful I was able to write this chapter.

Ed: Yes because I am so thankful that you were able to write this fanfic about a show/manga you do not own.

Tigger: I would pound you if I wasn't so sleepy.

Ed: I guess I should be thankful for your lack of sleep.

Tigger: No because you now have to thank all the reviewers.

Ed: What?

Tigger: Ew chew then talk. Now thank the reviewers before I call Auntie Senile.

Ed: Fine. Thanks Fallen Oblivion Angel, 13Lulu's, lilypop8, Arden Anam, Lonelyfairy, Emalee Roze, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, TheWinchesterAngel, WhiteWingAlchemist, Shadowess 88, YukinoKara, Wandering Hitokiri, UnbornHope, Ria442, Fuurai, vampgirl16, Draconian Master, the sugar-crazed alchemist, XcrazyXookamiX, Stteph., Alaythea-Mo0nl1ghtRes0nance, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, Twilightstorm1993, and Sorachangirl for reviewing.

Tigger: Now let the chapter begin (throws hammer at Ed)

Ed: HEY!

* * *

Then he proceeded to throw Amy back into the brawl.

This continued for another fifteen minutes. The Elrics and Amy would run away from Armstrong, he would catch them, the Elrics would make him drop them, and the circle would repeat itself. Finally Armstrong decided the battle had lasted long enough and everyone agreed.

"So scary so very scary," Amy whimpered after Armstrong felt the need to pose in 'celebration of this terrific display of power and hard work'.

She looked up to see Armstrong combing his one lock with sparkles all around him.

"Gah!" she yelped while darting to the other side of Al.

If Amy was certain of one thing it was that she never wanted to see Armstrong take off his shirt ever again.

"How are you feeling Amy?" Al asked worried about the inexperienced fighter.

"Like I got hit by a giant rock," Amy confessed examining her wrist.

It was true. Every part of her body ached and bruises were already blooming. All of her injuries that had just healed were replaced with new ones. Parts of her body were so sore she didn't want to move them and other parts, when touched, made her jump. There were a couple of cuts from a few roots that had tripped her and Amy's short hair was full of dirt and rocks.

"It was an interesting workout," Ed commented while casting a side glance at Armstrong.

It was silent for a second before Al piped up.

"I think there is a rock in my suit," Al said shaking his foot back and forth.

For some reason Amy found this hilarious. Here she was beaten by a sparkly muscle man and talking to a possessed suit of armor. She was almost killed at least four or more times in the past week and she was in a different universe. Yet all Amy could think of was Al saying there was a rock in his suit almost like a little kid saying there was a rock in his or her shoe. Amy started giggling which soon turned into uncontrollable laughter. Ed raised an eyebrow.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked concerned when she had to lean against Al for support.

This just made Amy laugh harder until she fell on the ground. She couldn't say a word through her laughs and started choking when she tried. Her sides ached and she seemed to forget how to make air come into her lungs.

"Amy!" Al cried worried, "Amy, are you okay? Brother what do we do? She's choking on laughter!"

"Hey everyone dinner is ready," Winry announced coming outside, she paused to look at Amy, "Uhmm what's wrong with her?"

"She's choking on laughter," Ed explained nonchalantly.

Amy coughed, laughed, and began to choke again.  
"Well don't just stand there help her!" Winry ordered menacingly.

Ed looked nervous and backed up slightly. He looked at Amy before a devious smirk crossed his face.

"Major," he called the blond man, "I think Amy needs a hug."

Ed's smirk grew into a full grin complete with some evil laughter.

All the color drained from Amy's face and she stopped laughing.

"I WOULD BE GLAD TO PROVIDE A HUG FOR MS. KISHI!" Armstrong bellowed.

Amy scampered to her feet. The twitch was coming back.

"I don't need a hug," she excused herself backing up.

Her heart beat began to pick up, the back of her neck began to sweat, and her stomach clenched. She began to back up faster.

"NONSENSE I WOULD BE HAPPY TO PROVIDE ONE!" Armstrong shouted as he stepped closer.

"Gah!" Amy screamed before running away from the tall man, "I DON'T NEED A HUG!"

The two started to run in a circle around Winry, Ed, and Al. Amy breathing heavily but never slowing while Armstrong showed no signs of weariness.

"BUT I CAN SHOW YOU THE ARMSTRONG STRENGTH!" Armstrong suggested.

"I DON'T WANT A HUG!"

"WE ARMSTRONGS ARE FAST RUNNERS AS WELL! IT IS A TRAIT THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN FOR GENERATIONS!"

"WINRY! AL! HELP!" Amy cried, "I DON'T WANT TO BE HUGGED!"

Winry swetadropped as she watched Amy zoom by again with Armstrong hot on her tail.

"At least she's starting to open up," Winry pointed out.

Ed and Al looked at Winry and then back at Amy. Opening up had a new meaning.

************************************************************************

Amy collapsed on her temporary bed after a nice refreshing shower.

"Ow," she muttered when she hit the floor.

"_Note to self: Only collapse on bed if there is a mattress beneath."_

Amy rubbed her sore arm and tried to make herself comfortable on the bed. She was so tired and sore. Dinner had been interesting and full of laughs. Amy finally felt a bit more comfortable with everybody. They had made jokes and commented on things of this time. Amy hadn't really gotten the jokes and felt a bit left out, but someone would always pull her back into the conversation. The same idea applied to the food. For the past three days Amy watched how others ate their food first and then had eaten. Ed and Al had picked up on this right away and Ed had laughed when Amy explained what she was doing. Winry had hit him with a wrench for laughing.

Winry was a really cool person. If Amy had thought Winry was amazing before it was nothing compared to what she thought now. Automail was actually extremely complicated to make and to do it one had to have a lot of knowledge. Building automail was also a lot of intensive labor, which most people wouldn't know about. Besides being smart and athletic, Winry was also very outgoing. She didn't mind expressing her thoughts through words or actions. It was just how Winry was. Sometimes it was hard to believe that this happy confident girl is the same girl who lost her parents all those years ago.

"_I wonder how my parents are doing," _Amy wondered, "_They have no idea what happened to me. The last thing they heard from me was my screaming. Courtney and Melinda must be worried too. I'm such a bad big sister. I abandoned them and here I am having fun in the FullMetal Alchemist world."_

Amy's heart gave a painful stab and Amy curled up under her blankets. She missed them. She missed all her family. Not only that but she hadn't even said good-bye. Was that so much to ask for? Her heart gave another pain filled lurch.

"_Think about something else," _she told herself.

Luckily Amy was spared the process of thinking of something else by Winry entering the room. Winry was wearing her pajamas and was pulling a comb through her wet locks.

"I'm dead tired," Winry complained falling over onto her bed, "Why must Ed always break my automail?"

Winry sat up and started combing through her hair again. Another thing the anime had failed to point out was how long Winry's hair was. Let down it reached past her butt and it was nice strong hair not too thick or too thin. It was a light blonde color and it just seemed irrational how long it was. Winry's hair must have weighed a ton. Amy lifted up one of her short dirty blonde locks. Amy had never regretted having short hair, it was her choice, but she did envy how nice Winry's hair was.

"He doesn't mean to," Amy pointed out.

"I know but still," Winry whined, "If he was just a bit more careful with it then we wouldn't have had to rebuild it from scratch."

"You could think of it like practice," Amy pointed out, "Each time you build Ed's automail, its better then the last."

"That's true, but I still hate seeing my precious automail go to waste like that," Winry ranted, "I work so hard on it and he doesn't even take proper care of it. His leg had scratches all over it and I had to get rid of them all!"

Winry waved her comb around like it was a weapon while she ranted.

"I'm sorry?" Amy offered unsure of what to say or do.

Winry blinked at Amy.

"You're weird," Winry stated.

"Wha.." Amy began confused.

Why was she weird all of the sudden? It would be understandable if Amy had done something or had acted like she did at home with her friends, but Amy hadn't even mentioned anything of her world while she was at the Rockbell's. Amy had been very careful about not spilling anything about her world. So why was she being called weird?

"You don't have to apologize for something Ed did," Winry explained, "If I have a problem with Ed I'll deal with him."

"Uhmm okay," Amy replied still a bit confused.

So she was weird cause she apologized?

"Hey when you pass your test will you come back and visit?" Winry asked.

Amy didn't reply. She hoped that she would return home soon. But if she didn't return home, would she come back and visit? Was it right for her to make friends on this side of the Gate? Knowing that she would have to leave them, was it right? What if she got too attached? Was that possible?

Amy looked at Winry's smiling face. Even though Winry had worked all night and had to work overtime, she still looked excited with the prospect of Amy visiting. Amy really wanted to be friends with Winry. It would be like a dream coming true. She wanted to tell Winry everything and hang out with her, but deep down she knew she couldn't stay in Amestrsis forever. On the other hand she would most likely never see Winry again after she got home, so why spend all her time avoiding friendship? She would just end up miserable and wasting this opportunity.

"I would love to," Amy agreed happily.

"Maybe next time I can show you some automail," Winry offered.

Amy's hopes soared. She could see real automail! Automail made by Winry!

"Really?" she asked with sparkles in her eyes, "I get to see the automail you make?"

"SEE ED PEOPLE DO APPRECIATE THE WONDERFUL MECHANICS OF AUTOMAIL!" Winry bellowed through the floor.

Winry's room was on the second floor while the guest room was on the first. Amy sweatdropped when she saw Winry give the floor a rather hard stomp.

"SHUT UP WINRY SOME OF US HAVE A TRAIN TO CATCH TOMORROW!"

"ONLY BECAUSE WE FIXED YOUR AUTOMAIL, YOU JERK!"

"MECHA-GEEK!"

"ALCHEMY NERD!"

"PIPSQUEAK KEEP IT DOWN!" Pinako yelled.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU DWARF OF A HAG!"

"Brother, please!"

"_I think Ed just borrowed my insult."_

"Anyway," Winry collected herself, "Can you do me a favor, Amy?"

Winry was asking Amy to do her a favor? But what could Amy offer? She was no good at building automail and she knew little about this world. What could Winry possibly ask her to do? Amy couldn't refuse though. She wasn't about to let her idol down, so she nodded yes.

"Al said that if you pass the test you'll get to travel around with the Elrics," Winry sounded a bit sad as she spoke, "If you do pass, can you call me to let me know how they're doing?"

Amy was a bit surprised by the request. Winry had only known her for a few days and knew very little about her, yet she was intrusting Amy with something important to her. The Elric brothers meant a lot to Winry.

"They never call or write so I can never tell how they're doing," Winry clenched her fist and little anger marks popped out on her head, "Then they only times they do appear is when Ed's broken my precious automail and even then he only stays long enough for me to fix it before leaving again."

"_Ed should be more careful with Winry's automail," _Amy thought nervously, "_She might do more then hit him with a wrench one day."_

"But," Winry's anger faded, "I still worry and they never tell me anything. Even now they just show up and don't tell me what happened. Al was broken into tiny bits and so was Ed's automail. Yet they don't bother to even tell me they were coming. So if you do travel around with them, could you just let me know they're alive every once in awhile?"

"They're family to you, right?" Amy questioned although she already knew the answer.

Ed, Al, and Pinako were the only family Winry had left. Her parents had died when she was very little and she had no brothers or sisters. Amy wasn't even sure if she had aunts and uncles. But even though Winry had been hit by a great tragedy she was able to move on with her life. Part of the reason being the people who helped her through that difficult time. Ed and Al were more then neighbors or childhood friends; they were something Winry couldn't live without. So it was reasonable that Winry would worry about her family. Just like Amy was worrying about her family. If only Ed knew how this was hurting Winry. He always said he was protecting her in the anime, but what harm could come of simply telling her? Ed didn't have to tell Winry everything, Amy understood if he wanted to exclude the part with Scar, but simply telling Winry that they found a new lead or lost an old lead wasn't that hard. Winry was worried about them and what she imagined happening to them couldn't be worse that what was actually happening to them.

"Ed and Al mean a lot to me. They're my family," Winry admitted, "I lost my parents at a young age and Ed and Al have always been there for me. I want to be there for me."

"I think we're in the similar boats," Amy told Winry, "Don't worry I'll do my best to make sure Ed and Al stay safe and I'll let you know they're okay."

Winry smiled at Amy and Amy smiled back. It was nice to know that someone relied on her like that. She would do her best to not let Winry down.

* * *

Al: What a nice ending.

Amy: Winry is a very kind person.

Al: She is.

Amy: I wonder when she'll make her next appearance.

Al: I think that depends on Tigger.

Amy: Speaking of which where is Tigger.

Al: Didn't she say to meet her at the end of the chapter?

Amy: I thought she did.

Al: I wonder what could have happened.

*Flashes over to Tigger sleeping on the floor*

Amy: Maybe she got caught up with something.

Al: Where's brother?

*Flashes over to an unconscious Ed next to Tigger*

Amy: I have no idea. Want to go find a bookstore?

Al: Is there one here?

Amy: This is Tigger's mind. Of course there is.

Al: Alright.

(They leave and a giant anvil falls where they were standing seconds before.)

Amy and Al: O.O


	32. Let's Get Our Sleep On?

Tigger: Hiya people!

Ed: You seem happy.

Tigger: I got fanart.

Ed: What?

Tigger: Fanart! Someone made a picture of Amy!

Ed: So?

Tigger: IT'S AMAZING! THIS MEANS PEOPLE REALLY LIKE MY STORY! I AM FAMOUS!

Ed: On the internet under a pen name.

Tigger: Don't spoil my fun.

Ed: So who made it anyway?

Tigger: Alaythea-Mo0nl1ghtRes0nance made it! SHE GETS A HUGE COOKIE FOR BEING AWESOME! However Ria442, Lonelyfairy, WhiteWingAlchemist, lilypop8, 13Lulu's, the sugar-crazed alchemist, XcrazyXookamiX, Shadowess 88, n a g a s h i . n o . k u r o, YukinoKara, Arden Anam, reviewer45, vampgirl16, Fuurai, Seengot, Sorachangirl, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, weasle57, swee cheang (no I'm not), Uchiha-Kairi, and Stteph. are awesome for reviewing. Just not as awesome at the moment. Sorry.

Ed: Your number of reviewers are increasing.

Tigger: Isn't that great?

Ed: They do know that you don't own FMA or any of its characters or plot lines, right?

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! (hits him with a hammer)

Ed: Ow! CRAZY FANGIRL!

Tigger: I ought to (giant block falls from the ceiling and narrowly misses the two of them)

Ed and Tigger: 0_0

* * *

"You're kidding," Amy protested stubbornly.

Man, when Ed had said early he meant early. Maybe it wasn't Armstrong's fault that she was still asleep when they had left for Resimbool. Armstrong, Al, Ed, and Amy were standing on the train platform, waiting for the train to come. There was nobody else there, not even the ticket person, and Amy and Ed were having a debate.

Amy had woken up, gotten dressed, put her bag on her back, and somehow managed to bring all seven books down the stairs without falling, so Ed could tell her it was time to leave. At first Amy had wanted to object, but she also understood Ed's point. The faster they got to the library the sooner Amy could go home. She agreed, sad that she couldn't say good-bye to her new friend, and had stored all of her books in Al. Amy had felt bad for doing that, Al wasn't a suitcase, but Al told her he wanted to help and Amy let him. After saying good-bye to Pinkao (who Amy thanked many times for letting her stay) and waving good-bye to a half-asleep Winry, they had set off. Amy had tripped two times on the way to the station and she had fallen behind when she stopped to pet a cow that was in one of the pastures, but she had made it and the group had time to spare.

"Look you don't have a lot of money so we're saving you money," Ed argued.

"I'm not going to hide in Al," Amy objected fiercely, "I can't do that. Al's a person, not a suitcase. Besides he's already carrying my books."

"I don't mind, Amy" Al cut in, "I like being helpful. If this is something I can do then please let me."

Amy felt guilty. She couldn't take advantage of Al. He was a person. If she treated him like suit of armor, wouldn't it hurt his feelings? At least that's what she thought. Now Al was making her feel bad for not accepting. She didn't want to make Al upset. He had suffered so much and he didn't deserve any more sadness no matter how small it was. If Al was okay with it then Amy should be fine with it, right? Right. She just had to hide in his suit for a while. It would make Al happy to be helpful, Amy wouldn't have to pay, and Ed could rejoice in the glory of winning this argument.

"You don't mind, right?" Amy asked.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably as she waited for an answer. She hated being a burden but even more was that she didn't like to hurt the people she cared about feelings.

"No, not at all," Al replied contently.

"Okay then, I'll do it," Amy said firmly.

Her nerves jittered as she agreed. Oh god, Amy hoped she didn't give away her hiding place. How awkward would that be to explain that to the conductor? Amy's face heated just thinking about it.

"_Calm down, Amy," _she instructed herself, "_You're hiding in a suit of armor possessed by a fourteen-year old boy. It's perfectly normal…okay maybe it's not. But it's normal here….in some cases."_

Al bent down and Amy watched anxiously as he opened the door to his chest. It looked kind of cramped in there and it was really dark. What if she brushed against Al's seal? That would be bad. Very very bad. Amy would just have to be super careful.

"Uhmm…how do I get in?" Amy questioned embarrassed.

This was getting very awkward very fast.

"I SHALL HELP YOU MS. KISHI!" Armstrong announced.

He scooped Amy up by placing one of his giant hands around each shoulder. Before Amy could protest, he stuffed her in Al like a child stuffs toys in an overcrowded toy box. The chest piece was slammed into place and it grew dark.

******************************************************************************************************************

Al stumbled backwards when Armstrong slammed his chest piece into place. He teetered and fell backwards. There was a loud banging sound as Amy and the books slid and slammed into the armor.

"Ow," Amy whined.

"Oh, Amy are you okay?" Al asked worried while sitting up.

He hoped Amy as okay. The metal in his armor was hard enough to ricochet bullets. It was definitely strong enough to give Amy a concussion. Al hoped that wouldn't happen. Amy was still healing from all of her previous injuries and she still had many cuts and bruises all over herself.

"Just peachy," Amy muttered sarcastically.

"What an unusual expression, Ms. Kishi," Armstrong inquired, "Whatever does it mean?"

"Uhmm it means fine," Amy attempted to explain.

"Yeah, yeah," brother complained, "I just wish the train would hurry up and get here."

Al got up and there was some more thumping as things shifted inside of him. At first it had been weird when his body became a suit. He no longer felt the need to eat or sleep. Al never even got tired, he could probably run around the globe again and again without ever having to stop. Over the years he got used to it though. Storing stuff inside him was no big deal and never getting tired was a plus, but Al missed so much. He missed being able to smell, taste, and feel. Al missed not being able to eat or being able to feel the rain on his skin. Although Al had gotten used to it, this was never a body he wanted to keep.

"The train will arrive soon, brother," Al said trying to calm his brother down, "Just be patient."

"His patience is short just like his height," Amy muttered from inside Al.

Al panicked slightly as he watched his brother's reaction. He couldn't let brother take out his anger on Amy, she was just some innocent girl.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" brother shouted turning his attention towards Al's chest cavity.

"Nothing, brother," Al replied quickly while trying to cover up the sound coming from inside him, "Amy just wants the train to hurry up to."

Al was reminded of all the times he had hide cats in his suit and brother had found out. He reacted in a similar fashion to how he was reacting now.

Brother glared at Amy's hiding place. Al sweatdropped. Ed continued to glare. Al began to sweatdrop some more. Ed's glare hardened.

"Look the train is coming," Armstrong pointed out.

"Finally!" brother cheered.

Al heaved a sigh as brother forgot the previous circumstance. His brother could be so tiring at times.

"I told you brother. You just have to be patient."

The train came closer into view and blew its whistle. Al heard Amy jump from inside him and there was some shuffling.

"Please be careful of the circle," Al reminded Amy.

"I know," Amy responded, "I will be. I'm just trying to get a bit comfortable.

"Sorry that we have to do this," Al apologized.

"At least we're not in boxes this time," Amy joked.

Al smiled slightly as he remembered Amy's 'box buddies' comment.

"You have to stay quiet at all times," brother told Amy, "No one can know that Al is hollow, so no moving or talking until we get off the train and we let you out of there."

"Wait," Amy sounded apprehensive, "Exactly how long will I be staying in this suit?"

******************************************************************************************************************

"I'm sorry," Amy apologized for the fourth time in two minutes.

"No, it's fine Amy," Al replied, "I don't mind."

A loud whistle blew and smoke rose from the top of the trains. People surrounded Amy and Al, but Al paid them no mind while Amy tried to avoid eye contact. She didn't like being out in public like this. It was okay when she was with her friends because friends liked you no matter what. But Amy didn't like being out in public with people she didn't know well or alone. Her stomach was always full of butterflies and she didn't like being surrounded by strangers who could possibly be serial killers. One could never tell who was hiding in a crowd and Amy didn't like it when people turned to stare at her either. It made her feel like they were looking at her disapprovingly. So she was focusing solely on her traveling companions in an effort to forget the strangers and her butterflies.

"You keep saying that. I'm really sorry though. I don't like being a burden."

Amy was currently getting a piggyback from Al. This may have been an Alphonse fangirl's dream, but to Amy it was an embarrassing situation. After being stuck inside Al for four hours and thirty-six minutes (at least that was what Al told her, Amy had fallen asleep at one point), Amy's cramped legs had fallen asleep. So when Al let her out (they ducked into an empty luggage cart so no one would see) she had been unable to stand up. Hence why she was being given a lift. Her face was bright red because everybody was staring at her. Al usually attracted attention because he stuck out and Amy in her foreign clothes (she was wearing the outfit she came to FMA in) attracted stares. Together, combined with an extremely short boy and giant man, they were a magnet for all sorts of gaping.

"Stop apologizing and hurry up," Ed told the two while running ahead.

"Brother, we don't have to hurry that much," Al chided.

"Yes libraries cannot run away," Armstrong added.

"Just hurry up," Ed ordered.

Amy giggled. Ed looked like a kid in a candy shop. He was so excited. It almost seemed like there was a spring in his step. She and Ed had their differences but he was still one of her favorite characters. His dramatic attitude and short temper always made Amy laugh. Suddenly Ed stopped at the entrance to the Central Train Station.

"WE'RE HERE CENTRAL!" Ed announced throwing his arms into the air.

Amy looked out into Central. She could already tell it was much bigger then Eastern and much more grand. There were tons of buildings big and small, streets crowded with old fashioned cars, and people everywhere. It reminded her of a 1900's New York City. Amy had never liked going into the city too much because it had been too crowded for her tastes but she could appreciate the city for its glory. The outdoor ice rink in Rockefeller center and Broadway were some of the better aspects. She had a feeling that Central was like that. After all it was the capital of Amestrsis, so it had to have at least one spectacular thing.

"Major Armstrong, we're here to escort you," a female voice spoke.

Amy peaked over Al's shoulder to see who was speaking. There were two people in the official blue military outfits. One was a woman with short black hair and the other was a male with dirty blond hair around the same length as Amy's.

"Good work Second Lieutenant Ross, Sergeant Brosh," Armstrong congratulated the pair.

"So you're the Full Metal Alchemist," Sergeant Brosh said while pointing at Al.

Ed was forgotten as Ross and Brosh surrounded Al and Amy.

"I'm Maria Ross," the woman introduced herself, "It's an honor to meet you."

"I'm Denny Brosh," the man added, "Your outfit matches your name! How amazing!"

Amy sweatdropped as she watched Ed sulk on the side. This must have happened way too often for Ed's tastes. Al shook his head and Al, Armstrong, and Amy all pointed at Ed.

"The small guy." Brosh stated confused on how someone so tiny and young could be the legendary alchemist he had heard about.

Ed jumped up and was about to attack the poor man but Armstrong grabbed Ed to prevent that. Brosh and Ross sweatdropped nervously as their supposed 'superior' try to destroy them with his fists.

"I didn't mean small…ermm…uhmm," Brosh stumbled over his words.

"He means petit," Amy offered never passing a chance to call Ed small no matter the language.

"AND WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN?" Ed yelled accusingly.

"Nothing," Amy said avoiding eye contact with Ed.

"IT MEANS SOMETHING OR ELSE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE SAID IT!"

"Oh are you the weird foreign girl we're supposed to escort?" Brosh inquired pointing at Amy.

"Weird?" Amy repeated.

What was with people calling her weird? She wasn't that weird. Sure she was from another country, time, and universe; but that didn't make her weird. Okay maybe it did make her a little weird. There were weirder though, right? Take Ed for example. He was one weird dude.

"Uhmm I mean," Brosh began to stutter again.

"You know there are times when you should just keep your mouth shut," Ross muttered to her comrade.

Brosh scratched the back of his head nervously.

"I shall go report to Central Headquarters now," Armstrong informed the group.

"Oh? What is that?" Ed asked with fake politeness, "You have to go now? So sad! Bye-Bye!"

Armstrong pulled Ed into a bone crushing hug with tears and sparkles streaming down his face.

"I AM SAD AS WELL! IT WAS TRULY A FUN JOURNEY!" Armstrong cried, "MAY WE MEET EACH OTHER ONCE AGAIN!"

Armstrong stopped crying and released Ed from his hug. He held up Ed like a ragdoll and turned to face Brosh and Ross.

"Take care of the rest for me," he told them.

"Yes, sir," they saluted.

"What I still have escorts?" Ed whined.

"Of course," Armstrong explained, "Eastern Headquarters reported that Scar has yet to be apprehended and until the situation calms down we will continue to be your escorts."

"Me too?" Amy questioned pointing to herself.

"Yes, while you are not a State Alchemist you have been targeted by Scar before and are therefore in danger," Armstrong answered.

Amy nodded to show she understood but was sulking inside.

"_Way to go Amy you have a homicidal manic with alchemic powers after you."_

She really did have the worse luck. Who else could accomplish such a feat after only being in this world for a day?

The military officers, Ed, and Al began to walk down the steps at the front of the station. Amy tried to move her leg and a tingly feeling shot up it. Damn it was still asleep. Both of her legs were tingled slightly whenever they were jostled and Amy couldn't feel anything else but the numbness in both of them. Someone could probably stab her foot and all she would fell was the weird tingling. Amy wondered briefly if this was what it was like to have automail. With automail one couldn't feel temperature, texture, or pain, just like Amy's legs at the moment. Yet with automail your limbs would still respond even if you couldn't feel them responding. That must have made it hard for people to move around. Amy glanced at Ed. Ed had to live through that everyday. Most FMA fans forgot that Ed was really a cripple. Without his leg and arm he couldn't do most of the stuff that made him an idol for fangirls everywhere. The viewers probably didn't even realize how severe it was to have no arm. Edward made it look so easy, but the truth was that it must have hurt him deep inside to have lost his arm and leg. It was probably even more difficult for Al. She couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to be a soul in a body that wasn't yours. Ed and Al were living in a tragedy everyday yet they made it look like no big deal and still goofed off and had fun.

"_The Elric brothers are a lot tougher then people give them credit for," _Amy thought.

"MS. KISHI THIS IS WHERE WE PART WAYS AND I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK!" Armstrong yelled.

Amy yelped in surprise and let go of her hold on Al's shoulders. She waved her arms around wildly as she tilted backwards before managing to grab onto one of the spikes sticking out of Al's armor. Amy straightened herself up and gripped Al tightly so she wouldn't fall again.

"Thank you," Amy managed to squeak out while trying to clam her poor heart.

Armstrong saluted the group with tears running down his face before getting in one of the military cars. Amy watched as the car leaned slightly to one side and then drove off.

* * *

(Amy and Al are hiding under a giant steel mushroom Al made with alchemy)

Al: Does it normally rain giant metal objects here?

Amy: Your guess is as good as mine.

Al: I wonder how brother is doing?

Amy: He knows alchemy so he should be fine.

Al: I hope you're right.

Amy: Tigger won't let him die.

Al: Really?

Amy: It's her job to cause him pain and suffering.

Al: (sweatdrop)

Amy: See he'll be fine.

Al: I wish I knew though.

(Silence as the two watch thing fall from the sky)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Amy: What's that?

(There's a loud crash as something lands on the mushroom)

Al: What could that be?

Amy: A metal object that can scream?

(There is a loud thwump as two things slide off the mushroom)

Al: That's brother and Tigger!

Amy: What are they doing there?

Tigger: Ow.

Ed: I hate this place.

Tigger: Shut it Ed, just shut it.


	33. Of Surprises and Gifts

(Tigger, Amy, Ed, and Al are all sitting under the giant metal mushroom as things fall from the sky)

Tigger: The sun will come out tomorrow! Tomorrow! Bet'ca your bottom dollar they'll be sun.

Amy: Tigger I think you might have messed up the lyrics. -_-

Tigger: Wll excuse me for not being Annie and singing the Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow perfectly.

Ed: And here I thought you were just torturing my eardrums.

Tigger: BAD ED! (whacks him with rolled up newspaper)

Ed: OW WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!

Amy: Alot of things.

Ed: YEAH WELL YOU DON'T OWN FMA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! YOU DON'T EVEN OWN THE SONG YOU JUST SUNG!

Tigger: (glares and then pushes Ed outside the cover of the mushroom)

Ed: (gets hit with a sink and passes out)

Al: Brother!

Tigger: You know I'm beginning to appreciate this weather more and more. Who needs sunlight?

Amy:-_- I'm not answering that. Anyway thanks to Lonelyfairy, Arden Anam, lilypop8, WhiteWingAlchemist, Ria442, Sparkles of Youthfulness,  
Alaythea-Mo0nl1ghtRes0nance, YukinoKara, Wandering Hitokiri, 13Lulu's, the sugar-crazed alchemist, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, Mennis-chan, XcrazyXookamiX, AnimeFreak2306, and superhappykitty for reviewing and favoriting.

Tigger: Is there a song about giant metal objects falling to the ground?

Amy: Something from Wizard of Oz? Which you don't own either.

Tigger: I HATE DISCLAIMERS!

* * *

"This is our car," Ross told them, "Ms. Kishi we are to drop you off first and then escort the Elric brothers to their destination. Do not worry you will be well guarded where you are going."

"_Oh yeah the military family I have to stay with."_

"Uhmm thank you," Amy said unsure how to respond.

She didn't want to leave the Elrics. It wasn't just because they were her favorite characters. They were some of the only people she knew in this strange world. Amy didn't want to be abandoned with strangers in a strange place. Her stomach gave some nervous flips as she thought about it. But Amy couldn't be selfish. Ed and Al had their own things to do and Amy couldn't burden them anymore then she already had.

"Amy, I'm going to put you down for a second, okay?" Al interrupted Amy's thoughts.

"Sure," Amy replied.

Al lowered Amy to the ground and let her go. She wobbled unsteadily as she still lacked feeling in her legs. Al ducked low and entered the car. Slowly Amy moved her legs forward. It felt weird like her legs were swollen. Her legs weren't obeying right and they prickled as she moved them. Amy was aware of the soldiers watching her and she bowed her face so they couldn't see it becoming red. She finally managed to get inside the vehicle and sat across from Ed and Al. Ross and Brosh squeezed in next to her. The car lacked tinted windows so people could see right into the car. Amy briefly wondered if tinted windows had even been invited yet.

The car's engine roared to life and Amy jumped at the sound. Then the car started and began to drive at a much slower pace then Amy was used too.

"_Older cars didn't go as fast," _she reminded herself looking out the window at the car's spinning tires.

"I guess it can't be helped," Ed sighed in resignation.

Amy looked at the teen who looked completely relaxed in the military car.

"_He must be talking about the whole escort thing," _Amy thought, "_Ha! Ed's being babysat! Well so am I if I think about it."_

"Brother you're supposed to say thank you," Al reprimanded his older sibling.

"Brother?" Sergeant Brosh gaped flabbergasted.

"You mean this armored man is your younger brother?" Ross asked just as shocked.

Amy glanced at the two soldiers. It had never occurred to her how odd it was to think of Ed and Al as brothers. This was probably because she had known they were brothers long before she met them. Heck, she had known they were brothers before she read the series. One of the people she had met at camp last summer had been wearing an FMA shirt and Amy had asked her about it, which was how her addiction to the show began.

"_And now look where I am. I wonder if this would have happened if I had not known anything about FMA. It should have, right? Something pulled me over here, so I must have been exchange for something. But what? What was I brought here for? Is this a coincidence? Fate? The irony gods actually existing and getting a good laugh out of my predicament?"_

"Why are you wearing a suit of armor though?" Brosh questioned Al.

Ed and Al turned to each other. Amy could visibly see them trying to figure out an excuse for a fourteen year old boy being in a suit of armor. There really was no good reason if one thought about it. Bullet proof vests worked better then a big clunky suit. Well they would if they existed yet. Just how much stuff did Amy consider normal everyday objects not exist yet? Obviously the computer, internet, MP3 players, and race cars were out, but what about films or music stations on the radio? Were those even ideas yet?

"It's a hobby," both brothers stated at the same time.

Amy almost fell out of her seat. A hobby? Who the hell would believe that it's a hobby to wear suits of armor? Amy was an atrocious liar but she could come up with something better then that!

"A hobby? What kind of hobby is that, Second Lieutenant?" Brosh whispered nervously to his follower officer.

"I don't know! Who are these kids?" Ross whispered back just as nervous.

It was obviously meant to be a private conversation, but the entire car could hear what Brosh and Ross were whispering about. Amy sweatdroppedrealizing the officers didn't realize that they could hear every word they were saying. Maybe someone should give them a few lessons about being subtle. In an attempt to draw the attention away from a dangerous subject, Ed began talking to Amy.

"So Amy, when will we see you again?" he asked loudly in order to gain Ross and Brosh's attention.

Borsh and Ross's necks seemed to snap in Amy's direction. Yeah those lessons would definitely come in handy.

"I don't know," Amy admitted shyly as Brosh and Ross stared at her.

She really didn't know. If she passed the test she would see the Elric brothers in less then two weeks hopefully, but if she didn't pass there was no telling when she would see them again. Amy's stomach squirmed uncomfortably at this. She didn't want to leave them. She didn't want to be alone. Amy didn't want to be stuck in some stranger's house. That thought alone sent chills up her spine. Amy had never gone anywhere by herself. She had always had a friend of family member with her. Now she had no one. Tears pricked her eyes at that thought. It was like Amy was reverting back to her four year old self. Feeling insecure, vulnerable, like the world was a big place that could squash her at any second. That's what it felt like. Amy's throat became incredibly dry as she tried to hold back tears.

"Don't worry, Amy. We'll see you soon hopefully," Al comforted her, "You said you were really smart, so doing this should be easy."

"It's a book test so a bookworm like you should pass it easily," Ed stated in a matter-of-fact way.

Amy sniffled and gave the brothers a weak smile. It was nice that they were comforting her. Ed seemed to be being even nicer to her then usual. But her situation was still the same.

"I'll miss you guys," Amy confessed looking at her knees, "You're the first friends I made."

Ed looked surprised at the fact that Amy considered him a friend, but recovered quickly. Flashing her a grin, he played it cool.

"Hey we're not saying good-bye forever," he pointed out, "Besides if you're lucky Al and I will have a breakthrough in research while you're studying."

That idea made Amy feel a bit better. She trusted that Ed and Al would try their very best.

"Oh your books," Al remembered.

Amy's books were still inside Al's armor. Brosh and Ross looked at them all oddly.

"Uhmmm Al is really skinny so we sometimes store stuff in his too big armor?" Amy offered although it sounded more like a question then an answer.

"What she said," Al agreed while nodding his head enthusiastically, "You wouldn't believe how skinny I am."

"It's almost like he eats nothing at all," Ed added.

The three teens smiled and tried to look convincing although Amy figured they were probably doing more harm then good.

"Hold on, I'll get them for you Amy," Al said.

Al then attempted to turn in his seat so that Sergeant Brosh and Second Lieutenant Ross would not see his hollow chest cavity. He moved awkwardly until he was facing the corner of the car. Cautiously he opened his chest a bit and stuck one hand inside. Broshand Ross tried to peak but Ed gave them the evil eye and they both went back to minding their own business. About a minute later Al closed his chest cavity and handed Amy all of her books.

"Here you are, Amy."

The seven books were plopped in Amy's lap. Her newly 'awakened' legs protested about having their blood flow cut off again and Amy attempted to shift the stack of books around.

Brosh let out a low whistle.

"Wow you have to read all of that?" he asked in amazement.

"I already read all of them," Amy admitted, "I just need to memorize their contents for my test now."

"I don't remember ever having to read that much at the academy," Brosh remarked.

"That's because you were too busy flirting with female officers attending the academy," Ross informed him with an irritated look on her face.

Brosh laughed nervously.

"Now that you mention it," he trailed off.

It was then that Amy noticed the car was slowing to a stop. Was she there already? Her heart started pounding and her stomach felt like someone was performing hip-hop moves in it. This was it. Her time to go out into the world by herself. To make something of herself. To study so she could get a job and find a way home.

"_Somehow I imagined this happening when I went to college in three years and not the summer of freshman year in high school,"_ Amy thought.

"We're here," Ross announced.

Amy took a deep breathe and prepared to exit the car when she heard the door next to her open.

"WELCOME TO MY HOME AMY!" a familiar face greeted.

"LIEUTENANT COLONEL HUGHES?" Ed, Al, and Amy all cried.

* * *

Amy sighed as she lifted her aching hand. Her muscles burned and protested as she clenched and unclenched her fist. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to write for over three hours straight. She got up from the desk, ignoring the sound of the chair grating over the wooden floor, and looked around the room. Currently she was staying at the Hughes's house in their guest room. The room was simple with a twin bed, a small nightstand with drawers, and a desk with a chair.

Finding out she would be staying with the Hughes was a great relief to Amy at first. At least she wouldn't be staying with complete strangers and Hughes was aware of her situation. However she quickly realized that Hughes and his annoyingness rivaled Armstrong's annoyingness. If people thought he was obsessed with his daughter at work, it was a completely different story at home. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes had an entire bookshelf devoted to photo albums of Elysia. According to his wife they were only photos from the past six months, the rest were in the basement. Gracia had laughed when she mentioned that she was going to run out of room to put them before Elysia turned six. While Gracia that it was cute that her husband adored his daughter, Amy had sweatdropped. She feared coming back to the Hughes household in a few months and finding every room was stacked with pictures of Elysia.

The Hughes family in general was wonderful. They always seemed so happy and resembled a family from those Kodak commercials. The ones who were always smiling and laughing. Elysia was adorable and Amy could see why Hughes wanted to show off pictures of her. Her dirty blond hair in pigtails, her bright big eyes, and her cute smile would make the evilest person's heart crumple. Not only that but Elysia reminded Amy of her sisters when they were younger. So cute and naive, it made Amy want to hug Elysia whenever she saw her. Gracia was beautiful and very motherly. She was constantly doing some sort of household work or playing with Elysia. Hughes was very lucky to have a woman like her. The Lieutenant Colonel himself was a great father and husband too. He loved playing around with Elysia and cooed over her every move, but he also helped his wife in every way he could and always put time aside for her. It was truly a wonderful family. It made Amy wonder how they thought of her.

Amy, of course, had blushed, been super polite and nervous when she was first introduced. She had apologized at least six times for being a burden and asked if there was any way she could help. Gracia had just smiled and said it was no problem. Elysia had asked if she would play with her and Hughes said it was a 'wonderful' opportunity to see his cute little angel. Yet she didn't know how they felt about her. Mostly Amy focused on being polite, keeping out of their way, and entertaining Elysia when she asked for it. Besides that all she had done was study.

In fact, Amy developed a schedule. Her morning consisted of waking up, studying, eating breakfast made by Gracia, doing the dishes, and studying some more. Later she would eat lunch with the females of the family (Maes had work) and then taking a break from studying to play with Elysia. After hanging out with Elysia Amy would go back to studying until dinner. Dinner was a big deal in Amestris and Gracia always made splendid meals, even if Amy had no idea what they were. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes wasn't around very often it seemed something at work was keeping him, but Amy had no idea what it was. She had other problems on her mind. Like the fact that tomorrow was her last day of studying before the test.

Amy had reread each of the books two more times, not including all the rereading she did when she was composing study guides. She had made study guides for every section, chapter, and glossary of each book. Her work was only made harder by the fact that the books (to her at least) were written a bit less modern then she was used to. Amy had memorized all the contents of the study guides down to the last period. It was how she usually studied for tests. Amy would memorize pages and then could spit them back out in the exact same way she wrote them down, not a word out of place. After she had finished with study guides Amy had made fake tests for herself based on the material. Her desk was covered with mountains of papers and there were even some piles on the floor. Amy was a tiny bit OCD about her papers and had them numbered and sorted into piles based on content. To say she had studied for the test was an understatement. Amy was reading her books like they were a lifeline. She practically breathed, ate, and slept with those books or one of her study guides. Her head seemed to be filled to the brim with facts about the Amestrian military. In fact Amy was pretty sure she knew more about the military then others who actually lived in this country did.

Her studying was a good distraction thought. It had kept her preoccupied for the past nine days, so that Amy barely had time to think of anything else. Only once did it occur to her that she had been gone for about two weeks by that point or that she hadn't seen the Elrics in days. To Amy it seemed like one super long day complete with periodic naps. Time just wasn't passing the way it usually did to her. Then when Amy did ponder over her time spent in the FMA world she would get panicky. Two weeks was a long time. But why didn't it feel that way? Why was being here coming so easily? Why wasn't she homesick? However Amy would stop those thoughts before they got any further. She couldn't have a breakdown, not now. Not when her test was just two days away. She needed to focus. Amy glanced at her backpack sitting on the ground.

"_I never opened my present from Cynthia, Betty, and Martha," _Amy remembered.

Excited Amy walked over to her bag. She took out her picture of her sisters, her cap, some money, her hammer, and her letters from Mustang. Underneath all of that was a familiar brown paper bag. Quickly Amy took it out and threw her other stuff into the backpack. Amy was one of those people who energized receiving an e-mail. She loved getting letters and gifts no matter how small or short they were. It meant someone out there put aside some time just for her. It was one of the many reasons she loved holidays to. Amy felt the holiday spirit as strong as any child and she loved the idea of celebrating and just being merry in general. Unfolding the paper bag, Amy reached in and pulled out the object inside. In her hand was a hard cover blue book. It had no title or picture to identify it. Curious Amy opened it up.

_To AA,_

Those were the first words written on the first page inside.

"_AA," _Amy sweatdropped, "_Is that my new nickname?"_

Deciding that she would try to see the sense behind such a name later, Amy continued reading.

_You just fell asleep. Aw look. You're so cute! ____ I want to adopt you. You can be my little sister and we'll live in a cute house in the country and I'll chase away any boys that try to steal away my adorable little sister. Anyway you're probably wondering what this notebook is. It's our gift for you silly! You provided the most entertainment we've had in a while. Only wished you could have stayed a bit longer. YOU GOODY TWO-SHOES! Oh, no! I'm sorry! I can't be mad at you, my little sister! I love you!_

_**Sorry about that we let Cynth here have the book first. I figure I'll tell you the real reason we are giving you this book. Well as Cynth said you were the most entertainment we've had in a while. Not to mention you were kind to us, that is after you got over your initial shock of being in jail. Most newbies try to act all tough once they get here. Don't worry we crush that attitude of theirs. It was nice talking to you and hanging out with you, so we figured we do something nice to you in return. Actually this notebook is from Cynth's pile of pick pocketed goods, but we figure that no one will miss one tiny notebook. You're a cool kid and I think you're going to do some amazing things in your future. I can see it in your eyes. I hope to see you on the outside.**_

_SISTER! Betty took the book away from me! She's so mean! But now I get to write to you! Yeah! I've got no family, all of them died in the war, so you're the first family I've had in years. Aren't you lucky! Hey my birthday is coming up soon and I'll be twenty. You must come to my party! I'll be sure to send you an invitation._

_**How do you plan on finding her? Or do you just enjoy seeing what you write?**_

_Betty! How dare you read over my shoulder! I'll get her an invitation! You'll see! Anyway it is time for us to go return some of my items. I don't want to. I mean it's only fair that I get to keep them. Oh wells. I LOVE YOU BABY SISTER! SEE YOU ON THE OUTSIDE!_

_Hey AA, how are you doing? It's Martha. Although I think you would be able to figure that one out. You're a smart kid. It's around two in the morning now and you've been out like a light for a while. You fell asleep while we were talking to you about our plans for the future. This means you probably don't remember much about our conversation, so I'll fill you in. In a week both Cynthia and Betty will have finished their time and will be out on parole. The two of them plan to open a flower shop. Since my crimes are a bit more severe I won't be let out till later, but I hope to see you then. Until then keep en eye on Cynth and Betty, trouble seems to follow them. Their shop is going to be called 'Fresh Starts'. I'll see you on the outside._

Amy stared at the note for a few seconds. She blinked once, twice, three times before she shook her head. Since when was she Cynthia's sister? Wasn't love a strong word to say after knowing a person for less then twenty-four hours? Maybe it was a bipolar thing. Amy blushed as she reread the other comments. They thought she was cool and smart! Wait was that a good thing? They were criminals after all. It made sense that it was a bad thing, but Amy's world had been flipped upside down since she became a guest on this world. At least that was how Amy was going to describe her time here, as a guest. She was only here temporarily after all.

"Now what am I going to do with this?" Amy asked herself motioning to the notebook.

She flipped through the other pages. They were lined but vacant of words of any sort. Maybe she could use it as a journal. This was a once in the lifetime adventure, how terrible would it be if she couldn't remember parts of it? Maybe she could even stick a few pictures in it to prove she had been here. It would be like a scrapbook. A scrapbook of her travels to another world. Well if that wasn't weird Amy didn't know what was.

"_I'll write in it after my test. I can't spare any time right now."_

* * *

(Tigger, Amy, and Al are sitting under the giant metal mushroom while an uncouncious Ed is lying on the ground nearby.)

Tigger: It's raining. It's pouring. The old man is snoring. He went to bed and bumped his head and wouldn't get up in the morning.

Amy: Has anyone ever realized that song includes an old man dying?

Al: All children songs have hidden meanings underneath.

Amy: So how long are we going to sit here for? Tigger can't you just turn it off?

Tigger: Turning the metal rain off? I tried that. I think its supposed to be a reminder of something.

Amy: Well it started when we were all supposed to meet up, maybe that has something to do with it.

Al: Why did you want to meet up with us?

Tigger: I can't remember.

Amy and Al: -_-

Tigger: What could falling objects represent?

Amy: Wanting to break out in a musical number?

Tigger: No.

Al: This is most odd.

Tigger: What expect did you?

Al: What?

Amy: Let's just end this chapter.


	34. Shoes Anyone?

Tigger: I'm sorry this chapter is late. Life is a bit hectic right now.

Ed: You say this as we sit beneath a giant metal mushroom while metal objects rain down all around us?

Tigger: Shut up Ed!

Amy: I have a question.

Al: About what?

Amy: If metal objects are raining down all around us then shouldn't this mushroom come down too?

(All look up)

Tigger: I wonder. I still can't remember what I'm supposed to be reminded of.

Al: I'm worried now.

Ed: Shouldn't it have fallen down already then?

Amy: So should we thank the reviewers and favoriters.

Ed: And tell everyone that Tigger doesn't own FMA or any of its characters or plot.

Tigger: I OWN THE OCS DAMN IT!

Al: Well thanks to UnbornHope, Arden Anam, Sorachangirl, WhiteWingAlchemist, n a g a s h i . n o . k u r o, Lonelyfairy, Ria442, 13Lulu's, Shadowess 88, LonelyHeartz36, SecretSnow, XcrazyXookamiX, lilypop8, YukinoKara, the sugar-crazed alchemist, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, annoyed by you, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, HinamoriSenna, and a-non` for reviewing.

Tigger: Still can't recall.

Amy: (watches as metal remotes fall from the sky) This is odd.

(The metal mushroom collapses and hits Ed)

Al: Brother!

Tigger: (starts laughing hysterically)

Amy: The irony.

* * *

"Aim-e! Aim-e!" Amy heard a perky voice yell.

Quickly Amy put the journal away. Although Elysia was adorable she tended to have very sticky fingers.

"Aim-e!" Elysia called in her two year old way.

It was kind of funny how Elysia kept mispronouncing things. Not to mention Amy learned that her name was rather uncommon in these parts, making it even harder for Elysia to grasp.

"Aim-e!" Elysia cried bursting in the door and tackling Amy in a hug.

"Hey Elysia," Amy greeted happily hugging Elysia back.

"Aim-e, big sister, book person," Elysia said quickly, "Mommy said dinner will be ready soon."

"Thank you for telling me."

Elysia looked up at Amy with big eyes. Her two pigtails framed her face cutely and added effect to her puppy dog eyes. Amy had seen that look many times before given to her by her little sisters, so she would have liked to think that she developed an immunity for it. Elysia stuck out her lower lip in a pout.

"_She's so cute!" _Amy's mind screamed.

"Would you like a piggy back ride?" Amy asked caving in.

Elysia nodded happily and Amy released her from her grip. She knelt down on the ground and Elysia clambered onto her back.

"Hold on tight," Amy told her.

Two little hands clasped onto Amy's shoulders and Amy grabbed Elysia's legs. She stood up, swayed a bit, and then proceeded down the hallway. Elysia giggled and laughed as Amy carried her towards the kitchen.

"Faster, faster," Elysia cheered.

"No way, I don't want to fall down the stairs," Amy replied.

"Aw," Elysia whined.

"Aw nothing, stairs hurt," Amy retorted.

"Aim-e fell down the stairs yesterday, remember?"

Amy winced as she remembered that. The Hughes's had very steep stairs and Amy had had the pleasure of slipping and sliding down half of them on her butt.

"Yes, and I have the bruise to prove it."

"Why does Aim-e fall down a lot?" Elysia asked curious.

"I have a bad sense of balance."

"Bad balance means you fall?"

"Yep."

"Does bad balance make you talk funny too?"

"I don't talk funny," Amy objected.

"You sound different then mommy and daddy. You say new words too."

"That's because I'm a foreigner."

"Four fingers?"

"No, foreigner," Amy explained, "It means my mommy and daddy are from a different country."

"Does everyone speak funny over there?"

"No well yes I guess," Amy fumbled over how to explain languages to a two year old, "They speak a different language over there."

"Why do they speak funny?"

Amy arrived in the kitchen. Gracia was stirring something in a pot and smiled at the two when they entered.

"Mommy!" Elysia greeted happily.

Elysia scrambled off of Amy's back and ran over to her mom. She hugged her mom's legs happily and had a big grin on her face. Amy remembered when she was little seeing her parents was the best thing in the world. As she got older she preferred being alone and spent more and more time in her room. Something tugged sharply at her heart. She wished she had spent more time with her family. She didn't even get to see her father before she disappeared.

"_Don't think like that Amy!" _she commanded herself shaking her head violently, "_Test first. Think of the test."_

"Aim-e's family is a forefinger," Elysia told her mom of her new knowledge, "They come from someplace where they all speak funny. That's why Aim-e falls over a lot."

Amy blanched at the little girl. Well what she should she expect? Elysia was only two. If Amy told her the sky turned orange whenever she went to sleep Elysia would believe her.

"Oh really?" Gracia said in good grace, "Well why don't you go clean yourself up and we'll eat."

"Okay mommy," Elysia agreed skipping away happily.

"Sorry about that," Gracia apologized, "Elysia is still young."

"No it's okay," Amy responded quickly, "I think it's adorable. I mean she is only two and my little sisters were like that so I'm used to it. Not that that's a bad thing. Elysia is a wonderful child."

Amy quickly stopped her rambling and stared at her feet. Why couldn't she ever stop embarrassing herself? These people were so gracious and kind to her and she couldn't even form a good sentence around them. Her face heated slightly as she continued to stare at her feet. How could she ever repay them for their kindness? They were too nice to someone like her.

"Thank you very much. You're a good influence on my daughter. She is an only child and gets lonely sometimes."

"It's the least I can do," Amy mumbled.

"My husband is a very kind man, but I trust him."

"He's one of a kind," Amy agreed.

Gracia laughed a little at this.

"I know he can be a bit overbearing at times, but he is always looking out for others. So I wasn't surprised when he came back from East Headquarters and told me that you were coming to stay."

"I didn't know I was staying here until Mr. Hughes pulled me out of the car."

"Yes he said he talked it over with Mr. Mustang. My husband walked in the door greeted us and told us he had the most interesting story to tell us."

"I'm sorry!" Amy apologized afraid that she might have offended Mrs. Hughes.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. As I understand you lost your family in a fire. I heard you even saved the Elric brothers from Scar."

"I didn't save them. I just happened to be there long enough to distract him."

"Maes did say you were an interesting character. I've never met someone like you before."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Amy asked apprehensively.

Gracia laughed and Amy felt a bit relieved.

"Mommy I washed my hands all by myself," Elysia stated proudly.

"Good job," Gracia congratulated.

"Uhmm Elysia did you remember to turn off the faucet?" Amy questioned when she heard running water in the background.

************************************************************************

Groggily Amy turned over. She was so tired. Her brain didn't even feel like working. Last night she had stayed up until she read through all of her study guides. She didn't want to wake up and have to face the world. That would just mean more studying. All she wanted to do was rest and relax. Maybe watch some television and play a video game. Wait there was something wrong with that last sentence. What had she stayed up so late to study for anyway? Not like it mattered, she would figure it out when she woke up later. Amy snuggled deeper into her sheets. This was what she needed, sleep. No studying, no world traveling, no manga characters actually existing, and definitely no huge exam to get her into the Amestrain military.

"My test is tomorrow!" Amy realized jumping out of bed.

She quickly shook herself from the covers and ran to get ready. Amy wiggled out of her hand-me down pajamas from Winry and pulled on some new clothes. She stuck her legs through a pair of tan pants, pulled a brown tee-shirt over her head, and combed through her hair. Today was her last day to study! She had to reread all of her books and study guides. Not to mention she wanted to prepare her outfit for tomorrow. Just as she managed to wrestle a pair of socks onto her feet, she heard knocking on the door.

"Yes?" she called.

"Can I come in?" Mr. Hughes asked.

"Of course," Amy answered.

The Lieutenant Colonel opened the door and entered the room.

"Good you're ready. Let's go then," Mr. Hughes said pulling her up from the floor.

"Go where?" Amy panicked while being dragged out of her room.

Her test was tomorrow. She was sure of that. Amy had very careful about keeping track of the days. This test would affect her entire future. If she couldn't join the military she wouldn't be able to travel with the Elrics and then she wouldn't be able to find her way home. She needed to pass this test.

"That's a secret," Hughes replied with a grin on his face.

"I don't like secrets!" Amy objected.

But her cries fell on deaf ears as the Lieutenant Colonel pulled her down the stairs, out the front door, and to his car.

"Mr. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, I don't have any shoes."

"They're in the car," Hughes smiled.

"Wait what?"

It was too late. She was shoved in the car and the door was shut. Before she could pick herself up, Hughes had gotten in the driver's seat and was driving away from his house. Amy propped herself on the seat, but toppled over when Mr. Hughes took a sharp turn. He continued driving speedily down the road while talking to Amy about his daughter and wife. Amy spotted her shoes and pulled them on. She had no idea what was going on.

"Mr. Hughes where are we going?" Amy asked nervously not caring that she had interrupted one of his stories.

Her brain was panicking. She was in a strange world in a strange place in a car with no seatbelts! Her heart was pounding a mile a minute and her stomach did nervous flops. Oh god! What if Mr. Hughes decided to abandon her on the side of the road? What would she do then?

"_Think reasonably, Amy. Where would Mr. Hughes take you?"_

Amy pulled a blank. Why would she have to leave the Hughes's house? There was no reason because her test wasn't until tomorrow.

"We're here!" Mr. Hughes announced happily.

The car pulled to a sudden stop but Amy was still in motion. She hit the seat in front of her with a bang. Her head suddenly felt lighter and dark spots appeared at the corner of her eyes.

"Ow," she groaned.

The back of her shirt was gripped and Amy felt herself being pulled backward.

"Come on," Mr. Hughes chided, "You really are too slow. Guess you're not a morning person."

What did being a morning person have to do with being kidnapped? The Lieutenant Colonel pulled her through some big iron gates and up a flight of stairs.

"Morning," he greeted someone.

There was no response and Amy only caught a glimpse of blue as she was dragged past. From the corner of her eye she spotted a blackened ruins. Blue? Iron gates? Blackened ruins? Central?

"The First Branch!" Amy gasped in realization.

"Hm. Yes that was burned down before you came to Central," Hughes replied nonchantly, "I thought you knew about that since you've read our book."

"It was in the anime, but I didn't think it be in the manga," Amy spoke horrified.

Dr. Marcoh's research was in that branch. Her answers. Her way home. It had gone up in a puff of smoke. It was gone forever. There was no telling how long until she got home now. Wait what happened in the anime? Sheska! Did Sheska exist here? If she did that meant the Elric brothers must be off somewhere deciphering Marcoh's notes. But why was she, Amy, here? She couldn't decipher notes, her test wasn't until tomorrow, and she couldn't tell them what happened next. Not only would she could mess with the time space continuum but she wasn't sure. In the anime the first time Ed met Scar was when he was twelve. But in the manga he didn't meet Scar until he was fifteen. So there was no predicting what events would happen and what wouldn't. The only difference between her and everyone else was that she had an idea about what could happen. There was no guarantee what she knew would come true.

Hughes dragged her inside the main building and down a few hallways. A few people gave Amy some weird looks which she responded by turning a lovely shade of red. The Lieutenant stopped in front of a pair of doors and pushed them open.

"Yo," he greeted to the other occupants in the room. Amy couldn't see who he was talking to, only the hallway she had been dragged by.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes," Amy heard two familiar voices.

"Ed? Al?" Amy asked trying to crane her neck so she could see them.

"Amy?" the two replied.

"Amy, why are you here?" Al asked.

"I think the more important question is why is she being dragged around by the Lieutenant Colonel," Ed pointed out.

"She needed a break and I needed a break," the Lieutenant answered simply.

"Is that why you dragged me all the way out here?"

"Of course you've been cooped up inside for ten days. You needed some fresh air."

"My test is tomorrow though!"

"Don't worry you'll have plenty of time to study later."

"But! But!" Amy tried to retort.

"Stop worrying. You probably know more about the military then I do," the Lieutenant Colonel laughed, "Now relax and enjoy yourself."

With that said he pulled Amy up to her full height and released the back of her shirt. Amy stumbled slightly before looking at the brothers. The two were sitting behind a mountain of books and papers and a woman was standing next to them. She had short mouse brown hair, a green sweater, a pair of jeans, and big glasses. Amy immediately recognized her as Sheska.

"Amy how have you been?" Al questioned.

"The Hughes family is very kind," Amy replied.

"Go on and tell them about my wonderful daughter," Mr. Hughes commanded.

Al and Ed sweatdropped. If you forced someone to say something nice about your family then didn't it imply that your family wasn't that nice?

"Gracia is very kind," Amy said looking at Hughes who gave her a thumbs up, "Elysia is adorable."

"SHE IS, ISN'T SHE?" Hughes bellowed, "Isn't it a wonderful experience being near her and seeing her? Why of course it is. Although I am a little jealous because you get to see her more then I do. Oh no what if she did something cute while I was away? You would tell me right? Hmm maybe I should just bring her to work. That way I would never miss a moment of cuteness and I could show her off to everyone else. What do you think?"

No one said anything but instead stared at Hughes like he was crazy.

"You're right. I will appreciate Elysia more if I see her less. But does that mean that I shouldn't see her at all? No, that wouldn't do. I must witness her cute moments. She will be three soon and I will never get to see her wonderful two year old moments again. They grow up so fast don't they?"

"Yes," Amy replied unsurely while the other stared dumbfounded

"Lieutenant why are you here?" Ed asked slightly annoyed.

"I told you I'm making Amy take a break," Hughes grinned.

"Then why are you still here?" Ed's eyebrow twitched

"Lately there have been a lot of crimes in Central. The military section I'm in has been overloaded. I need a break as well," Hughes answered seriously while plopping down in a free chair, "And the deal with the Tucker's case hasn't been finished yet…"

Ed's face dropped and he looked away. Al looked uncomfortable too. The wound was still pretty fresh for them.

"Ah sorry," Hughes apologized, "I brought back unpleasant memories."

Ed didn't reply. Amy sensed the tension in the room and turned towards Sheska. Sheska looked sad, she had probably read about the case in the newspaper. Although she may not have known all the details Sheska could probably figure out that Ed knew the little girl who was reported dead.

"You're Sheska right?" Amy said changing the topic.

"Oh me!" Sheska pointed to herself, "Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"I'm Amy Kishi," Amy introduced herself.

"Are you a new military member?" Sheska asked.

"No," Amy replied, "I will be one if I pass my test tomorrow."

Sheska tilted her head to the side in confusion.

"How's your studying going?" Al questioned.

"It's going good. I wish I had more time to study," Amy confessed.

"I bet I can do it," Ed smirked confidently.

"I'm going to get a triple A plus on this test buddy!" Amy's temper flared, "I will surely beat any score you will get."

Amy may not have been the strongest person, the fastest person, hell she wasn't even a good cook, but Amy had confidence in her studying abilities.

"Prove it."

"I will!"

"Brother can't you inspire Amy any other way?" Al asked exasperated.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Ed stated.

Al sighed. His brother had good intentions really but did he have to show them by making Amy angry?

"Colonel Lieutenant shouldn't you be working?" Ed asked Hughes.

"Don't worry I'll go back to work soon," Hughes answered, "Damn the First Branch had to get burned down at a time when we're so busy."

"The First Branch?" Ed repeated.

"Yes, I would store records of old cases and registers of names in there. Now I don't have any of them and I can't get any work done," Hughes explained.

"Hmm" Ed and Al looked at each other and then at Sheska.

"Wha?" Sheska caught on, "I did read and remember all of the military records, but"

"How about her Lieutenant?" Ed cut in, "She's the perfect person for this job."

"Huh? This lady has that kind of talent? That will definitely help! Come on! Let's start right away! We pay well!"

"Wait!" Sheska tried to object but Hughes grabbed her by the back of her shirt and proceeded to drag her out the door.

"Uhmm," Sheska seemed confused about what was going on, "You two thank you very much. I'll try my best! Thank you!"

That was all Amy could hear before the door slammed shut. Amy, Ed, and Al all stared at the wooden doors for a second before they spoke.

"Is that a kidnapper or something?" Ed asked.

"I think he is," Amy confirmed, "He did bring me here without warning me."

"That geezer," Ed chuckled.

"Wait, did he just leave the building?" Amy asked.

"I think so," Al responded slowly.

"But he was my ride back!" Amy protested, "I need to go back and study!"

All three teens stared at the door as Hughes's true purpose dawned on them.

"That old geezer," was all Ed said.

* * *

(Ed in full body cast on a hospital bed)

Tigger: It's the Body Cast Alchemist!

Ed: (mumbles something through bandages)

Amy: Only his one strand of sticking out. How odd.

Al: Brother how are you doing?

Ed: (grumbles angerily)

Tigger: That's great. And guess what! I finally remembered!

Amy: What was it?

Tigger: I wanted to make a Holiday FMA fic. Sort of like the omake except with a holiday theme.

Al: Then what was with the metal objects.

Tigger: Full Metal Alchemist! So metal objects!

Amy and Al: -_-

Ed: (grumbles angerily)

Tigger: Shut it chibi! (angry protesting from Ed) Anyway if any reviewer wants to appear feel free to pm and tell me! You can be a penguin or an elf or a reindeer. Or one of the traveler's we meet on our journey to save Christmas!

Al: Chirstmas?

Amy: Us?

Tigger: Bye people!


	35. The Results of a Kidnapping

(Tigger is sitting in corner cursing and mumbling.)

Al: Amy, is she going to be alright?

Amy: I have no idea.

Ed: I don't get what's so bad. So the chapter got deleted, she's rewriting it now.

Tigger: (gets up and begisn to rant) THAT'S JUST IT! I WROTE THIS WHOLE THING AND I HAD COMMENTS AND EVERYTHING! I HAD COMEDY AND INCLUDED ALL THE REVIEWERS' NAMES AND LISTED ALL MY EXCUSES FOR MY LATE UPDATE! I TALKED ABOUT HOW 13Lulu DID A WONDERFUL PIECE OF FANART FOR THIS FIC WHICH CAN BE SEEN ON DEVIANART IN Luca4ever'S CREATIONS AND HOW AWESOME THE FANART WAS. I EVEN WENT ON AND ON ABOUT THE AWESOMENESS OF THE ART AND HOW THIS IS THE SECOND PIECE I GOT AND HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE BOTH ARTISTS CREATING A PIECE. I HAD THE MOST AWESOME OMAKE AND I TOLD EVERYONE TO SEE THE CHIRSTMAS FIC I POSTED ON MY PAGE! AND THEN IT ALL GOT DELETED JUST AS I WAS PRESSING THE SAVE BUTTON

(Tigger falls to the ground)

Amy: Tigger?

Al: Tigger are you okay?

Ed: She forgot to do the disclaimer in the first draft of this.

(Tigger throws a hammer at Ed who falls backwards.)

Amy: Ed got knocked out again.

Al: (sighs) I'll call the hospital.

* * *

Amy sat on the carpeted ground. There was a pad of paper in front of her and a pack of pencils next to her knee. She was leaning against a bookcase and was writing away furiously. Second Lieutenant Ross had called Central Headquarters to contact Hughes once Amy had explained her situation to her. Hughes's secretary said that Hughes was busy at the moment but that he had a message for an Amy Kishi. The message had been that Hughes would pick her up when his shift was over and that she was not to leave the building. Al had tried to console her by offering to go get her books and study guides, but Amy felt guilty that she would be tearing him away from his decoding. The answer to getting his body back could be right in front of him, no way was Amy going to take that away from him. Instead she just requested something to write with and some paper. At the moment she was rewriting her study guides from memory. It was silent in the room except for the sound of pencils scratching on paper.

Her wrist was burning from so much writing and Amy decided to take a break. She put the pencil down and rubbed her wrist. Amy glanced at Ed and Al as they worked. Ed had a serious expression on his face as he frowned at the papers before him. He would read, flip a few pages, glance at a book, write something down, and repeat the process. Amy was actually surprised that Ed hadn't thrown something in frustration already. Al looked much more composed. He was dedicatedly reading the papers Sheska had wrote for them and jotting something down every once in a while.

It was hard to believe that this was real. That she was really sitting in a room with Ed and Al. That she was staying at the Hughes household. Amy would have thought this was some weird dream if everything didn't seem so real. Her dreams never made any sense and she could never recall what she was doing before the dream started. But here everything was as clear as day. She could remember every single detail because she engraved them in her mind. Every second here was precious and Amy couldn't afford to forget that, but she also couldn't afford to forget her own family. What if she went back and couldn't remember how her i-pod worked? Or the television? It had been half a month since she came here so she couldn't have forgotten already.

"_Half a month."_

Had it really been that long? It seemed like such a short time. It felt like she had just arrived but at the same time it didn't. Was time going by the same in her world? If so that meant she was missing her summer vacation. But what if her world was frozen or the time went by at a different pace? There was no way to tell from this end. The only way she could figure it out is if she went home. Amy sighed. Why was life so complicated? Why the hell was she sitting in the same room as Ed and Al? Why had she befriended Winry? Why was she here? She ruffled her hair in frustration.

"My hat," Amy murmured.

Out of courtesy she hadn't been wearing her hat indoors at the Hughes household, so it was currently sitting on her nightstand. She had grown rather attached to her hat over the past few days even though she had no idea why. Maybe it was because Auntie Senile gave it to her. But Amy didn't like the old lady that much. Now that she thought about it her hammer and her picture were at the house too. She hoped nothing happened to them. That picture and her original outfit were all she had left. Amy could only rely on her memories now.

A low grumbling sound came from Amy's stomach. Geh! She hadn't gotten a chance to eat breakfast and Amy had been at the library for at three hours now. Damn it! Why was it whenever she was around Ed and Al she seemed to lack a proper meal? The only times she got fed regularly was when people such as Winry or Gracia who made sure she was fed. When she was with Ed and Al somehow her meals were usually forgotten.

Her stomach growled again and Ed and Al looked up. Amy blushed as they stared at her and looked at the ground. She hadn't seen the brothers in over a week and she was a bit unsure of how to act. Amy knew she still had to be cautious around Ed but he was warming up to her well she thought he was. Al was nice to everyone so it was hard to tell if he really liked her or he was just being polite. Amy was leaning towards the first option though; Al wasn't much of an actor. Now Ed on the other hand…

"Are you hungry Amy?" Al asked concerned.

"A little," Amy confessed, "I'm sorry for disrupting your studying."

"Who apologizes for being hungry?" Ed deadpanned.

His stomach growled too. It was silent. Then her stomach growled. Amy blinked before she started giggling.

"What's so funny?" Ed demanded.

"Nothing," Amy giggled.

"I'm hungry so what?!"

"Nothing," Amy avoided eye contact.

"Then why are you laughing?!"

"No reason, chibi."

"What the hell is a chibi?!" Ed yelled.

"Nothing!" Amy laughed.

"Are you calling me short?!"

"How do you get short from chibi? They sound nothing alike!" Amy avoided the question.

"You are calling me short!"

"Those words never left my mouth!"

"How you two go from being hungry to fighting I will never know," Al sighed.

"Listen here girl I AM NOT SHORT!" Ed bellowed.

"Hey have you ever called me by my name?" Amy thought out loud.

"What?"

"You have a habit of not calling people by their name," Amy continued, "You usually give them nicknames, call them by their ranking, or refer to them as he or she. The only people I think you truly call by name is Winry and Al. Everyone else you call them by something else three-fourths of the time."

"Now that you mention it," Al spoke, "Brother often gives rude nicknames to people."

"Mr. Hughes, Colonel Mustang, guys he meets in the streets, Mrs. Pinako," Amy listed a few people.

"Maybe it's an affectionate thing," Al offered, "He calls people he doesn't know well by their names. He called Rose Rose."  
"And people who wouldn't understand like small children," Amy said, "You and Winry too. So maybe it is a privilege to be given a nickname by Ed."

"You may be right," Al concluded, "But brother must have said your name at one point."

"Probably right after he insulted me," Amy pointed out.

"Yes," Al sweatdropped, "That may be true. Although you keep switching names as well."

"Huh?"

"You will call brother Edward than Ed or Colonel Mustang than Mr. Mustang," Al explained.

"That's because I'm unsure what to call you," Amy blushed, "I feel like I know you all because I've read about you, but I don't actually know you. The military names are throwing me off too."

"Would you two," Ed growled, "STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE I'M NOT HERE!"

Amy and Al looked at each nervously. Luckily they were saved by a knock on the door. The door swung open and Rosh and Brosh entered. Brosh was holding a large tray of food.

"We figured you would be hungry so we brought you lunch," Rosh informed Ed before turning to Amy, "We brought you some food too."

"Thank you," Amy thanked the two considerate officers.

"No problem," Brosh smiled placing the tray down on the table, "I know how kids get without food. My little sister starts to throw tantrums."

"You have a little sister?" Amy asked.

She didn't remember Brosh or Rosh having any family at all. Maybe that was because they weren't main characters in the anime.

"_There's more to these people then what I've seen," _Amy reminded herself.

"I have a lot of siblings," Brosh told her, "I'll introduce them to you sometime after you pass your test."

"That would be nice," Amy said truthfully.

She would like to know as much as possible about these people. Hey at least when she got back she could be considered the ultimate fan.

"Brother if you eat that fast you'll choke," Al reminded his brother.

"Ed, leave some food for me," Amy ordered, "I didn't get to eat breakfast."

Ed swallowed the huge amount of food in his mouth.

"Snooze you loose," was all he said before stuffing his mouth again.

"Hey!" Amy objected rushing over to grab some food before it all vanished into Ed's bottomless pit of a stomach.

************************************************************************

"I'M BACK!" Hughes announced banging open the door.

The tired Rosh and Brosh jumped. They had been guarding the Elric brothers all day for over a week and they were overdo for a good nap. They had learned very soon after meeting the brothers that neither slept if they were busy. Which meant the two of the guards had to stay up late into the night until Ed and Al finally fell asleep.

Ed yawned and waved sleepily at the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Hello Lieutenant," Al greeted as chipper as always.

"Sorry I came back so late," Hughes apologized sheepishly, "It took longer then I anticipated to get Sheska hooked up and then I had a couple of cases I wanted to finish."

"It's okay, we understand," Al told him.

"Hey where is Amy?" Hughes asked peering around the room.

Ed lazily pointed over to a semi-circle of papers. The papers were stacked into huge piles and formed a half a circle in front of a bookshelf.

"She rewrote all her study guides, read them all, and then fell asleep about an hour ago," Al explained.

Hughes walked over to the papers and peered over. Amy was lying in the middle of the circle asleep. She had one arm tucked under her head as a pillow and was curled up.

"She was supposed to take a break today," Hughes sighed.

"I don't Amy is the kind to take breaks when something important is coming up," Al spoke.

"I suppose your right," Hughes grinned, "When she passes you'll come to my house to celebrate right?"

"You sound confident," Ed smirked.

"Those papers on the floor might have something to do with it," Hughes smiled, "Come on my wonderful wife is going to make her one of a kind roast chicken."

"One of a kind roast chicken," Ed repeated, "AL!"

"Brother you don't think,"

"Yes!"

"Because it is rare,"

"And the recipe calls for,"

"We might,"

"I think we've almost got it!"

The two immediately began shuffling through papers yelling bits of information that didn't make sense to anyone else. Hughes sweatdropped at the two. And people thought he was weird. He reached over grabbed the scruff of the back of Amy's shirt and pulled her towards the door. He dragged her over the car and put her in the backseat. Amy slept on oblivious to the world.

"I think something interesting is going to happen in the future," Hughes murmured to himself before getting in the front seat and driving home.

* * *

(Ed is lying on a hospital bed covered in bandages (again) and Tigger is on the bed next to him asleep.)

Amy: This seems familiar.

Al: You think brother would learn to keep his mouth shut by now.

Amy: I think the reviewers like seeing Tigger beat Ed up.

Al: I wonder why?

Amy: Two stubborn people going head to head is amusing.

Al: Aren't you and brother competitive as well?

Amy: Yes but Tigger is more competitive so she is one who picks all the fights in the omake.

Al: That makes sense. Why is Tigger in the hospital anyway?

Amy: She drank a lot of milkshakes to help her cope with her lost chapter and now she has a hangover.

Al: A hangover?

Amy: That's what she's calling it.

Al: I see.

(Silence)

Tigger: (sleep talking) Next chapter Amy is finally going to take the test when she has a little run in with someone and punches are exchanged.

Amy and Al: O.O

Amy: Wait, I'm going to punch someone?

Tigger: Zzzzz

Amy: Tigger! Tigger wake up! Is that true? Tigger!


	36. Amy is on the Battlefield?

Tigger: I AM BACK! AND I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR ABOUT A MONTH

Ed: Where did you disapper to for 27 days?

Tigger: A very evil thing kept me from writing BUT NOW I AM BACK AND SHOULD BE UPDATING WEEKLY (hopefully).

Ed: So I guess my vacation is over.

Tigger: Actually you don't appear in this chapter. Only Amy does. In fact I think for the next two chapters its just Amy.

Ed: So why am I here?

Tigger: I can't find Amy.

Ed:......

Tigger: Seriously we're playing hide and seek and Amy is good at hiding.

Ed: Are you serious?

Tigger: I can't finid your brother either. You think a seven foot suit of armor would be easy to find.

Ed: Why should I help.

Tigger: Because ninjaqueenxxxx, 13Lulu's, YukinoKara, Ria442, n a g a s h i . n o . k u r o, superhappykitty, Kuchaki, WhiteWingAlchemist, October Autumn, lilypop8, Charisma Elric , Sorachangirl, vampireluver1613, the sugar-crazed alchemist, The Sole Survivor, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, Emalee Roze, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, SakuraDagger15, and Aigyou all favorited/reviewed and I owe them.

Ed: I still don't see a reason.

Tigger: DON'T MAKE ME SET THE FANGIRLS ON YOU.

(Far off voice: Gah! Fangirls!)

Tigger: I heard that Amy. (runs off)

Ed: YOU DON'T OWN FMA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

Tigger: (far off) SHUT UP ED!

It felt like someone had taken a cell phone, put it on vibrate, and then somehow inserted it in Amy's stomach. Then that same person was calling her over and over again without a break. That was how Amy felt. Not to mention her knees were shaking, her palms were clammy, her throat was constricted, and her muscles were overly tense. To make matters worse her brain seemed to be having some sort of breakdown. Yeah, that was how Amy felt as she sat in the car on her way to the test.

Some unknown military solider with black hair and creepy black eyes was driving her to Central Headquarters so that she could take her test. He had hardly spoken two words to Amy and his very presence was kind of nerve racking. Amy sat rigid in her seat in the back of the black military car her eyes never straying from her lap.

"_Test, test test," _her brain repeated frantically, "_Oh god. Oh god. Test. Test. Big test. Physical. Written. Speaking with military officers. Oh god. Test. Test. Why did I agree to this?"_

Her fingers twitched nervously and she attempted to straighten out the non-existing wrinkles in her pants. She was wearing a pair of Winry's old black pants and an old navy blue collared long-sleeved shirt from Gracia. Even though it was an older shirt it was still in good condition. Her shoes were the same pair of brown boots that Auntie Senile had given her. Gracia had nicely cleaned them so all of the blood and dirt stains were gone. They were still worn but much better looking then they were yesterday. Amy missed her sandals though. Hughes had told her they were weird shoes that no one had ever seen before and she could not wear them around military members. Apparently her style of sandals was not even close to being made yet. It seemed the only kind of shoes available in Amestris were boots, heals, and some flat ballet looking shoes. When were sneakers invented anyway?

Amy's lifted her hat off her head. This morning she had pinned the picture into the inside of her hat. That way it was always be with her or at least until she found a good frame for it. At home she had never used good luck charms for tests because tests relied on her abilities to study and memorize. But she felt an exception was needed in this case. It was incredibly hard for her to try new things without her friends or family support so a little extra push from a picture couldn't hurt.

"Here," the man grunted.

Amy placed her hat back on her head as the car came to a stop. Taking a deep breathe, which didn't calm her nerves in the least, she stepped out of the car.

If Amy had thought Eastern Headquarters was huge it was miniscule compared to Central Headquarters. It was like looking at the White House or the Taj Mahal. There were grand steps with huge pillars. The building was very long and at least three stories high. Giant windows and doors stretched to the sky and there was even some sort of dome over one part of the building. Not to mention it was busy. Eastern Headquarters was practically empty when she was there, but this place was packed with people. They were going in, coming out, opening windows, closing windows, directing visitors, standing on guard, and a few were just enjoying a smoke outside. Amy's stomach plummeted as she took in the sight before her. It was a sea of blue uniforms.

"Oh Sergeant Charlie thanks for getting her," a young man with brown hair rushed towards them.

Sergeant Charlie grunted, got back in the car, and drove out the massive gates that surrounded the place. Amy's fear increased as she realized that she was stuck here for better or for worse.

"_Breathe, Amy, breathe. You can do this. You can do this. There is nothing scary about a building full of people with guns. Especially when your stuck in another dimension and everyone you know is another world or somewhere else. Nope not scary in the least. The homunculi don't even bother. There is no way they won't kill me later on or that I'll run into Scar who wants to 'deconstruct me'."_

"Hello there I'm Lieutenant Samuel," he greeted Amy cheerfully.

Maybe there was more then one cell phone in her stomach, Amy thought as she gave the man a small wave.

"Amy Kishi," she said in a voice a little more then a whisper.

"I know who you are," Lieutenant Samuel smiled, "I will be your exam proctor for this test. I worked long and hard making this test so I would like to see you try to beat it, sweetie."

He gave a little wink at the end of his proclamation and Amy felt the need to back up.

"I was hoping another male would test," Samuel complained, "All the good men here have girlfriends. Not a single one will dump them for me."

He pouted slightly at this statement.

"_Gay?" _Amy thought.

Now don't get her wrong, Amy didn't mind homosexuals. In fact she had one as a friend and he often gave her great advice but he wasn't overly flamboyant about his preferences. Amy probably would have acted the same way if he was talking about girls. Eccentric people scared her. Cynthia had proven this.

"Oh well maybe if you join some cute boys will join too. I like younger men."

Amy gaped at the man. She was not some sort of boy magnet! He was completely disregarding her too! A woman was just as good as any man! Screw this she was bringing her hammer next time and teaching this guy a few lessons in courtesy. Just because he had other preferences didn't mean he could treat women poorly!

"I am not a boy magnet," Amy growled.

"No no of course not," Samuel agreed in a sarcastic voice, "All you woman in short skirts and tight tops are not desperate creatures looking for anyone who is willing to pull their pants down."

Amy flushed embarrassed at the Lieutenant's blunt attitude towards sex but she didn't let that stop her anger. She didn't even wear skirts!

"This from the man who wanted a teenage girl to get him some men," Amy seethed, "You are a disgrace to the human race. Attitudes like yours are what prevented woman from completing their dreams."

"Trust me all women's dreams are the same and very easy to accomplish," the Lieutenant smirked.

"Sexist bastard!" Amy screeched.

Her anger was building up like a volcano ready to blow. What right did this pig have to classify women? The only reason he was alive was because of women! Women deserve respect! They brought life into the world and men were just jealous. Besides she would like to see a man have menstruation periods and then carry a kid around in their stomach for nine months! Women were just as bright as men and just as strong too!

"Women are whores," Samuel stated coolly.

"Prick!" Amy shouted and launched a punch at the man.

It collided with the side of his jaw and the man fell over backwards. Amy took a few deep breathes trying to reign in her anger and ignored the slight pain in her knuckles from punching someone's jaw.

"Bitch," Samuel cried from the ground clutching his jaw.

"Don't make me kick you!" Amy threatened.

"I think that's enough now," a calm voice interrupted.

Amy looked up to see a man with black hair and an eye patch. She immediately recognized him as Furher Bradley. Behind the Furher were two soldiers. They were wearing blue uniforms too but they were slightly different. Obviously they were the Furher's body guards.

"Furher," Samuel gasped from the ground.

Amy froze unsure of what to do. Did he see her punch Samuel? Oh no! Oh no! She hadn't even tested yet and she was already ensuring her failure. She couldn't go to military school! Amy had to find her way home! She had to travel with Ed and Al! There was no way she could just sit around and study. Amy promised Ed and Al that she would pass. Oh man! Why the Furher? Why had he seen? Why was her proctor such a sexist?

"Mr. Furher Bradley sir," Amy stuttered nervously.

She bowed embarrassed and unsure how to act. Oh God! Why her? Why her? Damn vibrating cell phones! Damn butterflies! Damn heart going at double time!

"Oh how amusing you really do have an accent," Furher Bradley stated happily, "Your manners are quite amusing too."

Amy's reaction was the same as the time Armstrong had ripped off his shirt to fight Scar. The only thoughts going through her head were 'What the hell?' and 'Where did that come from?'.

"Uhmm uh," Amy tried to think of what to say, she hadn't expected that as an answer, "Thank you?"

You are most welcome," the Furher smiled, "Now we were going to test your physical strength but apparently we don't need to do that anymore. Although I think we will have to find a new test proctor it appears Lieutenant Samuel needs to make a visit to the nurse."

Amy stared at the man blankly. Was he really disregarding the fact that she punched one of his men? But why? There was no reason to do that. She should have been under arrest or something. Why was the Furher being so kind to her?

"But Furher sir," Samuel objected, "She punched me!"

"Yes it was a nice right hook although she should be careful of her wrist," he commented, "Wouldn't want to break that."

Amy blinked a few times as Samuel gaped like a fish. Was he really that fascinated by her punch?

"Oh before we go," the Furher's face turned serious, "Lieutenant Samuel you're demoted and Ms. Kishi try not to punch any more of my fellow officers. Not all of them are as deserving as the former Lieutenant was of receiving one."

The Furher's serious expression caused chills to go down Amy's spine and she hurriedly agreed. This man was a lot more capable then he let on.

"Good now let's go," the Furher announced happily before walking towards the building.

Amy glanced at the two guards who motioned for her to follow him. Timidly she followed the man. People who had observed the scene were staring at her and Amy flushed a bright red. Meeting the Furher was like meeting a pop star, you felt insignificant the moment you laid eyes on him. Even if you didn't like the star you still felt in awe because they seemed to radiate some sort of aurora. Something in the back of Amy's mind was telling her this man was not normal and that she should respect him.

Quietly she followed the man, keeping her head low. She stared at the floor and observed the patterns in the woodwork and carpeting. Her stomach felt like it had been compressed into a tiny ball and she felt slightly nauseous. The back of her neck felt sweaty and her muscles were tense. Amy's nerves felt strained, nervous, and anxious. She just wanted to get this test over with and go back to the Hughes'. The sound of boots hitting the floor made her jumpy and breathing was slightly irregular.

Big test. Huge test. Surrounded by strangers. Furher was with her. In Full Metal world. Not unconscious yet. Breathe in. Breathe out. Run. She should run. Run far away where it didn't feel like the hallway was pressing in on her. Oh God. Huge test. Really huge test. Ultimate final grade test. Oh God. Breathe in. Breathe out.

"We're here," Furher Bradley announced.

Amy forgot how to breathe as her breath hitched in her throat. Was she really here already? Was it time to face it? The thing that decided her future was right beyond those doors.

The Furher was standing in front of some large wooden door with something carved in it. Calmly the man opened the door and it took Amy a few seconds to remember to breathe and how to work her legs. She entered the room. It was well lit but the shades over all the windows were drawn shut and there was only three pieces of furniture. Two chairs and a desk stood in the center of the room. The room had white walls and a hardwood floor. The Furher motioned for her to take a seat at the desk while he sat in the other chair. On the desk table were two pencils and a stapled packet flipped over so that Amy couldn't see what was in it.

A large clicking noise signaled the door had been closed. Amy's heart began to beat faster and her arms shook in nervousness. The queasiness was increasing and she was forced to take huge gulps of air just to get oxygen into her lungs. It was time. Time to decide her fate. Her future, her family, everything depended on this. Amy touched her cap. Her family. Her family. She needed them. To see them. To hear them. She had to pass at all costs. Failure was not an option.

"Begin," the Furher announced.

* * *

Tigger: (Is dragging Amy behind her) Look Ed I found Amy.

Ed: It only took you all chapter.

Tigger: Shut up! Now where is that brother of yours.

Ed: If he's lucky a couple hundred meters away.

Tigger: (hits Ed with hammer) Do you know where Al is, Amy?

Amy: Ca...n't...brea..the. Let...go.

Tigger: Oh yeah. (drops Amy) Now can you tell me where he is?

(Amy points to a giant box which has the words 'Al is not here' written on it)

Tigger: Oh. That makes sense. (walks over and opens box) Haha! I got you (pulls something out of box) kitten?? (Tigger blinks at the kitten) The box was telling the truth then. (turns to Amy) Amy how is a cat going to help me find Al?

Al: KITTY! (runs towards Tigger and grabs the kitty)

Tigger: (blinks) I'm going to pretend that never happened.

* * *


	37. Of Tests and Terrors

Tigger: I is bored!

Ed: Why the hell do I keep getting stuck in before the chapter with you?

Tigger: (shrugs) I is bored.

Ed: THAT'S NOT AN ANSWER.

Tigger: Fine fine go bother your brother. There's a door over there. (A door magically appears behind Ed)

Ed: (Looks at the door suspicously) How can I trust you?

Tigger: Believe it or not I care about your health.

Ed: Why do I doubt that?

Tigger: If you die the series dies and my fanfic dies. Therefore you must live for me to have my fanfic. Now hurry up I don't like that door there.

Ed: (looks at Tigger suspicously) You still don't own FullMetal Alchemist or any of its characters! (quickly opens door and jumps through)

Tigger: I HATE YOU ED! (door slams shut) I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE!

Ed: TIGGER!

Tigger: 0.0 That came rather quickly. What did I do now?

* * *

Amy felt in her element right now. She knew these answers, she knew them. Well most of them. She moved along at a steady pace answering the ones she knew right away first. Then she did the ones that needed a bit more thought or time. Finally she completed the more difficult ones or attempted to answer the few she had no answer for, making sure to see if there were any clues for the answer in the rest of the test.

The panicky feeling was still in her stomach but Amy was used to that. She always felt nervous when she took a test. It was part of the reason she was so efficient when under pressure. She triple checked answers sometimes. There was no way she was going to mess up on this test. Her hopes and future counted on a good score.

Her pencil flew across the pages, filling them with answers. Her wrist was burning but she ignored it in order to finish the test. She was almost done. So close. So very close.

"_1782. Brigadier General. State alchemists. Expanded borders." _

Her mind was racing as problem after problem had to be completed. She could do this. She could do this. Come on when was the Headquarters in the South established? She knew this. It was on page six of her packet after the fourth bullet point. Amy grabbed her hair in frustration. Come on. Come on. Oh! That was it!

Ten more. Nine more. Eight more. Seven more. Six more. Five more. She was almost there. Four more. Three more. She was so close. Two more. She could taste the end. One more. Done!

Smiling Amy dropped her pencil and began to massage her wrist. Her mind felt sort of numb as she left the world of paper and pen and came down to reality.

"Time's up," Furher Bradley stated while swiping the test from Amy.

Amy jumped, she had forgotten the man was there. Her nerves, which were gone for all of thirty seconds, came rushing back as she watched the Furher flip through her test. A heavy silence fell on the room and Amy could hear her heartbeat in her ears. How did she do? They were right, right? Oh no what if she flunked? She knew she should have put B for problem twenty-five. Oh no, just how bad did she screw up? The Furher's face was expressionless as he examined her hard work.

"Okay," Furher Bradley smiled tossing the paper behind him.

It landed in one of his guards' arms; the guard sighed in relief and then disappeared out of Amy's sight.

"Time for the interview," the Furher announced happily.

"What now? Here?" Amy asked panicky.

But she hadn't prepared. She had spent all of her time studying for the test! What was she supposed to say? What was she supposed to do? Was she going to have to lie her way through this thing? What if they saw through her act? What then? What would they do to her? Would they keep her here? Lock her up and perform experiments? Ask her to tell all of the future inventions so they could make them? She was so going to screw up the storyline if that happened!

"Why not?" The Furher questioned.

He seemed happy on the outside but Amy could detect that she really wasn't supposed to go against his judgment. She was messing up before the interview! Number one rule in her books was to obey her superiors. The number one thing in the military was following orders! And here she was breaking that rule before she even entered! God damn it! Amy knew she was too out there for this! She couldn't run miles on end or even touch a gun! Why would they hire her? Why hire the anime nerd? She was beyond screwed!

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly.

The Furher nodded showing that he accepted her apology.

"Why did you decide to join the military?" he questioned seriously.

Amy fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. Time for the lying to begin.

"_I hope they believe me," _Amy prayed, "_Whatever God or Goddess feels like helping me right now I swear I'll become a member of your religion. Just please don't let me flunk."_

"My family died," Amy began, "I've never left my hometown before and my guardian decided it would be better for me to see the world. I wanted to see this country."

"Why the military? Couldn't you have gotten a job at a traveling circus or something?"

Amy's nerves picked up on something. The Furher was suspicious. Suspicious of her and her cover story.

"_Got to make him believe me! How the hell am I supposed to do that? Damn Gods not being helpful."_

Butterflies exploded in her organs and her heart was now going so fast Amy thought it would pop out of her chest. She could feel the sweat forming on her neck and fingers. Her fingers twitched nervously under the desk and her toes scrunched up in her shoes.

"_Lie to him. Lie to him. Make him believe me. Sound truthful. I have to believe my own story. This is no longer a cover story. This is my life. As long as I live here I am an orphan. Not acting. This has to be me."_

Amy took a deep breathe and closed her eyes for a second. She tried to imagine what it was like to be this version of Amy Kishi. A girl who had just lost everything important to her. It was sad. She felt lonely. She was looking for closure. A reason to keep living day to day. A way to begin again without forgetting the ones I loved. Yet deep down I still clung onto the hope that they were out there waiting for me.

"I wanted to fight for the country that my parents loved so much," Amy spoke, "I want to begin again. I want to make others lives better. It's what I decided to do now. My reason to live day to day."

"Yet you didn't want to go to the academy. You're young, you have all the time in the world, why not go?"

"I'm young so therefore I am impatient. I won't wait for the future to come to me, I'll go to it. The Full Metal Alchemist joined at the age of twelve," Amy pointed out.

"Yes, you have been sighted with the Elric brothers before," the Furher told her raising an eyebrow.

He was expecting her to give a plausible explanation. What reason would she have with the Elric brothers? Did the Furher know that they were searching for the Philosopher's Stone? If he did then he would want to know why Amy was looking for it. Maybe he thought she was planning to bring back the dead.

"They are my first friends," Amy confessed, "The few people I have learned to trust since the accident."

"Do you know alchemy?"

"I know the theories and the rules but I lack knowledge of how to perform it."

"Why should you become a soldier? Why should I allow you to travel around the country as a scout?"

Why should she be allowed to become a scout? There were others more versed in being a soldier and a scout then Amy was. So why let the inexperienced girl handle such important matters? Why? What were some good traits about her? Well she could read, write, and had a better education then most people in this era. Were those good enough reasons to hire her? She had to try though. All or nothing.

"I have a good memory and observation skills," Amy spoke, "I am well educated so I can use my knowledge to predict what are possible outcomes in areas. No one will suspect a teenage girl to work for the military so it will be the perfect cover. Plus since I did not attend the academy, I can even get information on other soldiers who may be abusing their power."

"What do you mean predict the future?"

"History repeats itself. If you know the reasons for events in the past then you figure out what not to do in the future."

"An interesting point."

Amy nodded but did not let any other signs of emotion out. Maybe she wasn't such a bad liar after all. Furher Bradley couldn't even tell how scared she was on the inside. Could she pull this off?

"What would you do if someone held a gun to you head?" the Furher asked in upmost seriousness.

"Who's holding the gun?"

"Does it matter?"

"Everything matters. Who's holding it, why brand it is, where I am, the people around me, and the reason for holding a gun. Without these I can't act. What if in you're actually referring to one of the military holding a gun? My answer wouldn't be the same as a robber holding a gun."

"You are a bright child."

"Thank you," Amy blushed at the compliment.

"Tell me who taught you? You never left your town before, so did you go to school there?" the Furher asked sincerely.

Warning signals went off in her brain. No one in Auntie Senile's town would know who she was and if the Furher asked a few questions then it was all over.

"I was homeschooled by my parents," Amy answered with care, "I never left the forest really."

"I see. Why did your parents leave their country? Educated people are valuable."

"I don't know all the reasons because my parents didn't want to go back there. But they said it was because they didn't like the government there."

"I see. What country are you from?"

"I don't know what it's called in your language but it's called Gaul where I come from."

Gaul was the name of France before it was France. Amy thought it was fitting because she was speaking French as her 'native' language.

"I see," was all the Furher said.

Did she say something wrong? Amy thought she had been doing rather well. Oh no. What if it was something she said? Did the Furher know that she was faking? But how would he? She was speaking in another language! Wait did he know French? Or this world's version of French? What would it be called anyway? So very frustrating.

"I will be going to talk with my council," the Furher explained, "When I come back, I'll tell you whether you passed or not."

Wait she would get the results today? Was that a good thing or a bad thing? On one end she wouldn't worry herself silly until she got the answers. She could also go help Ed and Al right away, but she usually stopped worrying about tests an hour afterwards. Then she would worry again when teachers handed it back, but besides that she forget the test even existed. So would it be better to know right away? Then she could have her results right away and move on with her life. But now she could only worry until she got it back. How did she do? She was unsure about that one question and a few had been iffy. What would she do if she didn't pass?

"Yes, sir," Amy managed to salute.

The Furher and his guards left the room, leaving Amy all alone with her nerves.

************************************************************************

Furher Bradley strolled to his office with guards surrounding him. He kept his back straight and rigid while his hands stayed stiffly at his sides. His eyes observed all those around him. His fellow officers and his people. Humans were such idiots some times. They openly trusted him, never questioning anything he did. They didn't even notice that he didn't appear in public until his wonderful conquests as a military personal. Although they would probably never guess that he had spent every moment since he was born being trained for this position along with many others who were no longer on this earth. His expression was stern not letting one thought slip past his guard.

He reached his office with brisk strides and nodded to his soldiers, signaling for them to stay put outside the doors. Once inside the dark room he made sure the door was soundly shut. Before he came to office he had made sure that it was sound proof. Father would not like if his plans were overheard. Walking over to his desk he waited until the others showed up.

"It's been a long time," a smooth womanly voice came from the corner of the room.

"Lust," Bradley acknowledged.

"Wrath," Lust taunted.

"How did your mission go?" Bradley asked.

"The FullMetal Alchemist and his brother came close," Lust informed him, "But I led them off track."

"You could have warned me before you burned down the library," Bradley reprimanded, "One of my soldiers could have seen you."

"I would have taken care of it," Lust smirked.

"I need these men if we plan to fulfill Father's plan," Bradley spoke sternly.

"One or two men won't matter," Lust continued, "I also ran into an old friend's of ours. He didn't want to meet us though, so sad."

Bradley raised his eyebrows.

"You must remember him. He was an alchemist, one of the leaders in the Philosopher stone research, and a sacrifice."

"Marcoh," Bradley stated.

"Yes, I thought you would remember him."

"I thought he had to be dead to be able to escape us."

"Oh no, he was just using that big brain of his to hide out in a small town under a different name."

"I see."

"I did spot something else interesting," Lust told him, "There was a girl traveling with them, dresses like a boy."

"Amy Kishi?"

"Hmm, yes. She went with them to Marcoh's. No doubt she knows about the Philosopher's stone too."

"Did they ever mention a reason for her travelling with them?"

"No, she's been with them since East City. According to the reports she ran into Scar with them."

"Why would a girl like her be looking for the Philosopher's stone?"

"Wanting to bring her family back to life? Heard they're all dead."

"That's what the file said," Bradley informed her.

"Want me to go check it out?" Lust asked.

Bradley shook his head.

"Scar is still a threat. I will deal with this girl myself. If she becomes a threat I will eliminate her."

"Don't forget to tell Father."

"I won't."

"Well then I'll be seeing you, I have to go back to East City now."

Bradley nodded as Lust disappeared.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" another voice asked from behind the walls.

"It's one girl," Furher stated, "Besides she could be useful."

"What makes you say that?" the voice questioned.

"She got a 99 on a test that fails half the soldiers in the military academy," he explained while lifting the exam paper off the desk.

************************************************************************

Amy was twisting her hands nervously. She had not moved from her seat in fear that that Furher would come back and see her pacing. Her palms were sweaty and her stomach was bubbling. Thoughts raced through her head so fast she could barely comprehend what ran through her head. Every time she heard footsteps she would jump and look at the door anxiously. After fifteen minutes she began to wonder if the Furher had forgotten her.

_"Stop thinking cliché thoughts," _Amy berated herself, "_He'll come and give an answer. Worry about the answer."_

Despite what she told herself, her thoughts continued to betray herself. Finally three sets of footsteps reached her ears. Her heart beat nervously and made a pounding sound in her ears. Each footstep seemed to echo loudly. The door creaked upon and Amy's breath hitched.

"How are you doing, Ms. Kishi?" the Furher asked her with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Good," Amy managed to choke out.

Did she pass? Was she part of the Amestrain military? Would she really travel around with Ed and Al? Her heart went into triple time. The adventure of a lifetime with fictional characters. Winry, Ed, Al, alchemy, automail, bad guys, good guys. Her stomach curled in anticipation. She had studied long and hard, but was it enough? She did not fancy the idea of going to military school. Would she really become a scout? A girl in a mostly all boy profession? She wasn't anything special. Did she even deserve being able to test for such a spot? There were others probably more acceptable for the job. But she really needed this job. Truly needed it.

"As Furher I would like to formally welcome you to the military as the youngest female officer in the history of this country."

* * *

(Tigger is staring at the door and Amy and Al walk up)

Amy: Tigger what have you done now?

Tigger: I did nothing. The door has a mind of its own!

Al: Why do I doubt that?

Tigger: Cause I can't open it.

Al: Let me try. (Al walks over to the door and tries to pull it open but it won't budge)

Amy: Wow your telling the truth.

Tigger: Why does everyone assume I'm lying? T-T But not to worry I called in an expert!

Al: Who?

(Winry suddenly appears)

Winry: Hi Al. Hi Amy. What's going on?

Al: Well you see...

Tigger: ED BROKE YOUR AUTOMAIL AND IS HIDING IN THAT CLOSET!

(silence)

Winry: EDWARD ELRIC I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! (she breaks through door with her wrench)

Tigger: See problem solved.


	38. When Overprotective Fathers Attack

(Ed is lying on a hospital bed and Amy, Winry, Tigger, and Al are standing in a small circle a few feet away. The random door has a giant gaping hole in it.)

Tigger: That was a nice throw Winry.

Winry: It was nothing.

Tigger: No really! You went 'whoosh' and it went 'fwoosh' and then there was a 'clang'.

Amy: That's very descriptive Tigger. How is Ed doing by the way?

Al: He'll be fine. He's used to this.

Amy: That's kind of sad.

Al: You get used to a lot of things when you have a Brother like him.

Winry: Is this hospital bed new?

Tigger: Yeah it was easier then taking Ed to the hospital.

(The closet gives a shudder.)

Amy: What was that?

Tigger: I didn't see anything. Oh but that reminds me. Thanks to vampireluver1613, The Sora-muffin, inkPlay, WhiteWingAlchemist, BlackStar-F, YukinoKara, 13Lulu's, Fuurai, Lizzy lou, arden_anam, cocoasit4, lilypop8, Wandering Hitokiri, Uchiha-Kairi, Sadisticshadowcat, kimmay94, Silvaria, D R A G O N L I L I E S, anon anon, T. C. Meade, and the sugar-crazed alchemist for favoriting/reviewing.

(The closet gives another shudder)

Winry: Okay I saw that one.

(Amy and Al nod in agreement)

Tigger: Uh maybe it was the wind?

(A musical voice comes from the closet)

Voice: Don't forget to mention that you don't own FMA or any of its characters, Tigger.

Tigger: Oh no! Wait a second! No way! It can't be!

(Something begins to emerge from the closet)

Tigger: EVERYBODY RUN FOR IT!

* * *

Lieutenant Colonel Hughes distractedly stared at the window from his position at his desk. Amy was supposed to be escorted to his office after she finished testing. She had left an hour after he had gone to work (his darling wife had called and told him) and now he had been at work for three hours. How long would the test take? Colonel Mustang wanted to know the results as soon as possible, it seemed as though he had plans for Amy. Then again finding talents like Edward and Amy would only boost his reputation and improve his chances of becoming Furher.

Hughes shook his head. He had been friends with Mustang for a long time, even before the war. They had been through the good and the bad, and they both spent the worst time of their lives together. Images from the war still haunted his sleep at night. But he followed Mustang's example and decided to move past that. He had a family to take care of and a promise to fulfill. Hughes would support his friend as much as he could. For some reason he knew that Mustang becoming leader of this country was probably for the best. Anyone who was in the Ishvalan massacre knew that it was an unfair battle and that it did more harm then good. Which was the precise reason Mustang would make an excellent Furher. Of course the Colonel was a friend of his, which might have had some influence on his opinion.

Now if only Roy would settle down. How bad would it look if he became Furher without a lady by his side? Every man knew that they needed an opposite, someone to keep their feet grounded. He had his wonderful wife and beautiful daughter and all Mustang had were a bunch of one night stands. He was not setting a good example for his precious angel! How could he explain to his angel that 'Uncle Roy' only had a girlfriend for a day? That would corrupt her little mind! He needed to straighten this out at once!

In father mode, he abandoned his paperwork and rushed down the hall. He called out to his secretary that he was taking a break and she sighed used to his antics. Rushing to the phones the woman at the post there didn't even bother to ask him to fill in the proper forms. She just rubbed her temples and began to fill them out herself. It was a lot less work for her then persuading him to wait ten seconds and fill out some forms before making a family related call. Quickly his fingers dialed the familiar number.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes calling for Colonel Mustang," he told the receptionist on the phone.

There was a beep before he was paged through. His fingers drummed the side of the phone as he waited for his old friend to pick up the phone. The phone rang once, twice, three times before it was picked up.

"Hughes you better have a good reason for calling me," his friend warned.

"You need to find yourself a wife right now!" Hughes told him, "You're setting a bad example for my little Elysia! Go get married!"

There was silence for a moment. Hughes was rather proud of himself for taking control of the situation before it got out of hand. His daughter was safe from corruption. Mission accomplished.

"You're lucky I haven't found a way to burn people through the phone," his friend growled, "Otherwise your wife would be receiving a jar of ashes."

"I am only doing what a good friend and loving father would do," Hughes said defensively.

"Getting on the nerves of your superior officer is not something a good soldier would do."

"Family. Friends. Work." Hughes quoted, "That's how it goes."

"You shouldn't be saying that on military lines."

"Why? Do you think the other soldiers are feeling left out because we are talking about my beautiful wonderful angel of a daughter?"

"I highly doubt that is not one soldier in Central Headquarters that has not heard of your daughter."

"Only three-fourths. I still have to get the guards outside the wall and by the jail."

"You must be kidding."

"Why would I do that?"

Hughes heard a sigh from his friend.

"Did Amy pass the test?" Roy asked in all seriousness.

"Oh, that's what I was waiting for," Hughes exclaimed, "I knew there was something I was forgetting."

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU CALL ME?"

"To tell you to get a wife," Hughes stated, "Didn't we already go through this?"

"Uhmm Lieutenant Colonel, your secretary is calling," the woman at the desk told him, "She said something about a girl waiting outside your office."

Hughes held his hand over the phone and looked at the woman.

"Is the girl nervous looking with short blond hair?" he questioned.

The woman repeated the question into her phone.

"Yes, and she's holding a new uniform and has a brand new military badge," she informed him, "What should I tell her to do with her?"

"Tell Lisa to be nice to the military's newest scout," Hughes grinned before holding the phone up to his ear.

"Looks like you'll be getting a promotion soon," he said.

"I'm looking forward to it," Hughes could practically see the smirk on Roy's face.

***************************************************************************************************************

Amy tried to fasten one of the buttons on her uniform. The thing was so darn complicated! She was wearing the man's version of the uniform. One because it was better for everyday activities and two because Amy was not going to willingly wear a skirt, even if it was only on special occasions. But Amy was so skinny and had no muscle or chest she had to wear the smallest men's size they had. A pretty depressing fact if she thought about it. The outfit was so darn confusing she was beginning to have second thoughts about choosing it. The bottom part was composed of a pair of pants and a skirt thing over it. Females who choose the men's outfit had to wear this style, Amy had seen Risa walking around in it. The woman also had to wear a black short sleeve shirt under the jacket on top, which was what Amy was currently struggling with. Once she had gotten all the buttons done, rolled up the edges of the sleeves, tucked her pants into her boots, Amy looked in the mirror.

"_I look like Katara," _was the first thing that crossed her mind.

Indeed the long slit skirt over a pair of pants did resemble Katara's outfit. Not only was the style similar but the color was similar too, the entire outfit was blue. The only difference being Katara's outfit was a much lighter color and was a slightly different style. She pulled at her top. It was a weird sort of jacket thing that had buttons on both the inside and outside. Not to mention she had to wear all these buttons and pins and stuff like that to prove her rank and so forth. Each pin, button, and stitch had a specific place on her uniform and Amy was trying to put them on without poking herself with holes. Around had waist was a thick black belt holding her pants in place and it also had a gun holster. The gun holster was empty but she still had to wear it. Amy had briefly considered shoving her hammer in the holster and using it like a tool belt.

She glanced at the hat on her bed. Well it wasn't her bed considering she was leaving today. Hughes had brought her back to the house to celebrate last night. The Hughes family celebrated her new position with her. They had had cake and everything. Hughes had kept looking at the door throughout the night but no one else ever came. Amy expected the Elric brothers were supposed to come, but had been too busy to. Amy was slightly disappointed at first but then reminded herself that they were doing something much more important then eating cake with her. Although she couldn't deny that she missed the brothers. It was kind of like making a bunch of friends and then the friends leaving you at their house while they ran out to get something. It was awkward being there with their family members but not bad necessarily.

"_I'm really selfish aren't I?"_

It hadn't been that long since she saw them and she wanted to hang out with them again. So what if they were her favorite characters? That was no excuse. Sure she missed torturing Ed about his height and talking to Al, but that was no reason to be selfish. She wasn't even sure if they were considered friends or not.

Stubbornly she pushed those thoughts out of her mind and jabbed on her new hat. She was only going to wear the uniform today and then go back to her regular clothes. Amy was only wearing it because it was easier then flashing her identification or explaining how she did on the test. One look was all people would need. Plus what was the point of owning something if she never wore it?

Amy grabbed her backpack and took another glance at the mirror. She let out a gasp. She really did look like an Amestian soldier. The boots, the clothes, the hat, she blended in with the hundreds of others who wore this uniform or was it thousands? Amy was no longer just an ordinary citizen she was part of something much bigger. Even though it was a cover Amy was really part of the military. She had the duties of a soldier on her shoulders. People were counting on her and not just her other coworkers. Citizens were expecting her to be a soldier and fight to protect them. An entire country was counting on her and her work.

"_I think I'm in way over my head."_

She was part of a military of a foreign country in a different world that wasn't supposed to exist. Amy could imagine what she would be telling her classmates when she went back to school in the fall.

"_This summer I was almost killed by a homicidal manic and travelled with two teenage boys to find a magic stone," _she thought sarcastically, "_I'm sure that will go over real well. Maybe I'll get to pick the color of my straightjacket."_

"Amy, awe you wready?" Elysia called.

Amy tore her eyes away from the mirror and headed down the stairs. She slipped once but managed to grab the railing in time. The Hughes family was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.

"I guess this is good-bye," Amy muttered shyly.

She felt bad for leeching off them for over a week and giving them nothing in return. But what could she do now? They wouldn't accept any of the money she offered and they didn't even want gifts of gratitude.

"Will you come back and play?" Elysia asked with huge puppy dog eyes.

Amy wanted to squeal and hug the girl but resisted the urge. She didn't want to creep out the Hughes family with her weird ways.

"I don't know," Amy replied truthfully, bending down to Elysia's level.

She didn't really know. For all she knew, Amy could be back in her own world by tomorrow. Or it could take months. Amy really hoped it didn't though. It was already July in her world meaning she had less then two months before school started. Missing summer was bad enough but she didn't want to miss the school year too. Then she would fall behind and have to do make up work or, if she missed enough days, have to stay back a year. That was something she definitely didn't want to happen.

"My bwirthday is soon," Elysia informed her, "I'm inviting you to my partea."

"THAT IS SO ADORABLE!" Hughes squealed hugging his daughter, "AMY WILL GLADLY COME TO YOUR PARTY I SHALL MAKE SURE OF IT!"

"_Why is he making this decision for me?" _Amy sweatdropped.

Gracia smiled good-naturedly at her husband who was now twirling around with his daughter in his hands. The doorbell rang and Gracia walked over to get the doorbell. Hughes stopped spinning and Elysia looked at the door curiously.

"Sergeant Brosh here to escort Scout Kishi to the Elric brothers," Brosh saluted.

Hughes turned serious for a second.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes turning protection over to Sergeant Brosh," Hughes saluted with Elysia on one hand.

"If you're ready Scout Kishi we can leave now," Brosh informed her.

Amy stood up and straightened out her skirt-pants-thing. What did they call it anyway? Butterflies flew around rapidly in her stomach and Amy nodded at Brosh.

"_Here I go."_

She followed Brosh to the military car waiting out front and tossed her one piece of luggage in the backseat. Besides feeling nervous and jittery Amy felt a pang of grief for leaving the Hughes family. She would miss them too. They had been so kind and welcoming and reminded her of her own family. Amy turned around and looked at the family. They were all gathered on the front steps waving good-bye.

"Bye funny sounding big sister," Elysia waved happily.

"I don't sound funny!" Amy retorted with fake anger.

"Have a safe trip," Gracia told Amy.

"This moment is so cute," Hughes sobbed, "My beautiful daughter is saying good-bye to her big sister figure. Don't cry Elysia! Daddy will be here for you!"

Amy sweatdropped as Elysia patted her dad on the head trying to comfort the emotional man.

"Thank you," Amy thanked them before she climbed into the car.

Brosh drove and Amy continued waving at the Hughes family until they were out of sight. Amy sighed and looked at the seat in front of her where Brosh sat driving the car.

"Are you nervous?" he asked her.

Amy nodded her head. Nervous was an understatement. Right now she wanted to bolt out of the car and run back to the nice safe Hughes household. Well as safe as it could get for Amy. But at the same time she was excited. She couldn't wait to see the looks on everyone's faces when she showed up. Just wait till Ed saw her in uniform. His face would be priceless. Besides it couldn't be worse then being in jail or taking the test. That had definitely been more nerve racking then this. She was just going to work at her new job…at the military surrounded by people with guns and short tempers….maybe she should have put more thought into this.

"Don't worry I remember my first day," Brosh laughed, "I was so nervous that I didn't notice that I had put my boots on the wrong feet. My feet hurt for weeks afterwards."

Quickly Amy glanced at her own shoes. They were on the correct feet and all her buttons were done. None of her clothes were ripped or inside out either. She sighed in relief. Embarrassment was not on her things to do today.

"However Major Armstrong had told me it was very manly to endure pain like that and then switched his boots," Brosh continued, "When he flexed the boots shredded though. I never bothered to ask how he did it but he managed to."

Amy flinched at the mention of Armstrong's name. Hopefully the man wouldn't feel like giving her a hug when he saw her. She had just finished healing from all of her previous injuries. A new set of bruises was not what she needed.

"Actually Major Armstrong goes through at least two shirts a day," Brosh babbled.

"_Oh god he's a talker."_ Amy realized as Brosh just went on and on.

First Armstrong and his talks about his family. Then Hughes and his adoration of his daughter with talks and pictures. Now Brosh and his non-stop yammering about whatever crossed his mind. Why was she always surrounded by talkers? Why not a quiet person? Or someone who talked about something she was interested in? Amy sighed. She couldn't be that lucky.

Amy sighed and forced her attention elsewhere. This city was so different then her quiet suburban home. Everything was so old fashioned and technology was so old and slow. Were typewriters even invented yet? Well she could take comfort in the fact that computers were invented in the next 100 years.

"_I miss my i-pod. Music would be so nice right now. Is he still talking? I think he is._"

Indeed Sergeant Brosh was still going on and on about something or other. Luckily Amy recognized some of the buildings from the last time she was driven to the library. The butterflies in her stomach began to fly around faster. Her first day as a soldier, as a working citizen in society. Too bad it was a good seven years before she planned and in the wrong world.

"And here we are," Brosh concluded pulling into the parking lot.

He parked the car and got out. Amy followed his example. She shrugged her backpack onto her shoulders. Apparently Ed and Al were staying at a military hotel when they weren't in the library and that was where she would be staying the night. Of course Amy would be staying in her own hotel room that would be paid with by the nice paycheck she had received. The military had opened a bank account in her name and had placed a nice wad of cash in it. Since a scout was supposed to travel around the military paid for the traveling funds. Hence Amy would always be supplied with the money she needed for train fees and hotels. And as long as she wasn't staying in five star resorts and wasting room service, the military would keep supplying her. The job was perfect for Amy's situation. It would be even better if the possibility of being killed wasn't so high.

Amy shuddered as she remembered all the papers she had had to sign when she was accepted for the job. She might have had a higher IQ or a greater attention span and memory then most teenagers but no 'young adult' wants to read 49 pages of legal jabber. Usually when it came to things like signing up for websites or electronics Amy would just press the 'I agree' button and went on with her life. Basically it came down to 'Obey our every order and there is a high risk of you dying'. Rather depressing when Amy thought about it.

"Scout Kishi your hat," Brosh reminded her.

"Oh yeah," Amy hastily removed her hat from her head.

Brosh was currently leading her through a maze of shelves and hallways to the Elric brothers. Amy had been spacing and had forgotten to take off her hat, which was something one was supposed to do when entering a building. It was a bit of challenge to convert to the customs here. Her first meal in the prison had been extremely awkward because Martha had commented on her eating habits. At home Amy had eaten a lot of food with her fingers, which wasn't the case here. Amy also held the fork differently and cut her food weird. In fact Amy spent most of her meal time glancing at others to figure out how to eat and what she was eating. Besides food there were greetings, how to act around certain people, and of course the slang. Adjusting was difficult but it was becoming easier as time passed.

"How far have the Elric brothers gotten?" Amy asked the Sergeant.

"Yesterday they said they were close to breaking it," Brosh explained, "They really don't tell us that much though."

"Really?" Amy's mood improved greatly, "I hope they crack it soon."

"You sound excited," Brosh commented, "Are you interested in the research too?"

"Mm-hmm," Amy nodded her head.

Could it be that they were really that close? Once Ed and Al knew the formula for the imperfect Philosopher's stone then they should be able to create a perfect stone. Sure it would probably take a while to revise the current formula but Amy had faith in the Elric brothers. She would help them in any way possible as well. No way would she sit on the sidelines and reap the benefits of their hard work. If Amy was going to get something out of the stone she should help make the stone.

"Second Lieutenant Ross," Brosh saluted when Maria came into view.

Amy quickly saluted too. She really needed to work on her military stuff.

"Sergeant Brosh," Ross saluted, "Scout Amy."

"Does everyone know I'm a scout?" Amy asked.

She couldn't surprise Ed if he already knew.

"The Elric brothers don't know," Ross smiled.

A grin slipped onto Amy's face. That meant she could still surprise Ed. Today was turning out to be a pretty good day. She had officially passed her test and was now part of the military, she would get to see the Elric brothers, Ed and Al were close to cracking Dr. Marcoh's code, and she could brag to Ed. And to think it was only ten in the morning.

"NO FUCKING WAY!" came Ed's voice.

Amy jumped at the loud sound and quickly hurried over to the wooden doors. What was wrong? Why did Ed scream? Her heart pounded loudly in her ears as she heaved the door open. She ran into the room with Brosh and Ross following behind her.

Ed was standing in front of the table, his chair knocked over and books and papers on the ground. Al was holding his head in his hands and both looked distraught.

"Wha.." Brosh exclaimed as he examined the room, "What happened? Were you two fighting?"

"No, it's not that," Al answered in a disappointed tone.

"Are you angry you haven't broken the code?" Ross began.

"We broke it," Al cut in.

A feeling of dread filled Amy's stomach. No, no, no. It couldn't be. This wasn't the anime. The anime was way different. The timeline was different. So this should be different. There should be a different result. Right? It had to be.

"The code has been broken," Al repeated looking at the ground.

The feeling of dread increased and warning bells signaled in Amy's head.

"Oh really that's good news, isn't it?" Brosh said looking around for reassurance.

"There isn't anything good about this shit!" Ed declared sitting on the ground.

Amy's knees began to shake and there her chest felt tight. Words seemed to fall her as she listened with bated breath. It couldn't be. It couldn't be.

"The Devil's Research was what he called it," Ed vented, "You're despicable Dr. Marcoh."

Ed looked frustrated and disgusted. Almost as if he couldn't believe what he had read. Now even Brosh and Ross looked nervous about what Ed and Al had discovered. Brosh knelt down next to Ed looking worried. Amy found herself unable to move from her spot. Her ribs felt like they were being pushed in and Amy found herself only able to take shallow breaths. Her palms were sweaty and a chill ran down her spine. No. No. Not again. It couldn't be like the anime. It couldn't be.

"Just what did you find out?" Brosh asked.

"The main ingredients for the Philosopher's stone," Ed told them disgusted, "are living humans."

* * *

(A beautiful young girl with nice curves, long flowy blond hair, and eyes as blue as the sky with flecks of purple comes through the doorway)

Voice: Hello, my name is Mary-sue.

Tigger/Amy: RUN AWAY!

(Al is drooling buckets looking at this beautiful girl)

Winry: Al? Al are you okay? Just how are you drooling?

Mary: Your a funny bunch. (laughs but the laugh sounds like chiming bells)

(Al begins to drool more)

Tigger: I BURNED YOU! I LOCKED YOU AWAY! I HIT YOU WITH HAMMERS! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!

Mary: Silly Tigger. I can't die. I'm the Philosopher Stone remember?

Amy: Tigger what is she talking about? How did a Mary-sue get in here?

Mary: I'm the Mary-Sue version of Amy and I want my spot in the series now.


	39. When Emoness Takes Over

(Tigger, Amy, and Winry are hiding behind in a giant stone fort. Ed and Al are tied up in the center of the fort. The two brothers are blinded, gagged, and have earplugs stuffed in their ears. Amy is on partolling the edge of the fort.)

Winry: So what's with the Mary-Sue person?

Tigger: Sssh! Keep it down.

Winry: (in a whisper) Who is this Mary-Sue person?

Tigger: (also in a whisper) The usual fanfic heorine. She's extrememly beautiful, super smart, very girly, and good at whatever the hero is good at. So she's a good fighter and a master at alchemy. She also has a tragic past which is similiar to Ed and Al's.

Winry: So a girl version of Ed.

Tigger: Also if you show up in the story at all you usually get super jelous and are made out as a bad person. Which is wrong on so many levels because you are so awesome.

Winry: (twitches)

Tigger: They usually make the person an awesome automail mechanic too without any training whatsoever. They make Ed's automail for him.

Winry: HOW DARE THEY DO THAT? YOU CAN'T MAKE AUTOMAIL WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS! THE METAL THE NOISES THE WAY THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER! THAT'S NOT SOMETHING YOU LEARN OVERNIGHT! I BET THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE IN USING CYLINDER VERSE RECTANGULAR BOLTS! I PROMISED ED I WOULD MAKE HIS AUTOMAIL! I REFUSE TO LET SOME AIRHEAD MESS UP MY MASTERPIECES!

Tigger: GO WINRY! MARY-SUE IS GOING DOWN!

Ed: YOU STILL DON'T OWN FMA!

Tigger: YOU CAN'T EVEN HEAR ME! SHUT UP ED! (knocks Ed out with hammer) Don't worry Winry my reviewers hate Mary-Sues too. Which reminds me I should thank Surviving Sheika, sootyxsnowpetal, The Sora-muffin, T. C. Meade, 13Lulu's, Noobycakes, Keiyou, White Wing Alchemist, the sugar-crazed alchemist, The RoseBlade Ninja Alchemist, arden_anam, Lizzy lou, tig tig kitten, Nut and Shell, and Dragon of Twilight for reviewing/favoriting.

Amy: TIGGER WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!

* * *

Amy turned over on her bed. She was in the hotel room lying on the bed in her own world's clothes. Hell she was even wearing her 'weird' sandals. Her uniform was lying in a crumbled pile at the foot of her bed. The room was dark because she hadn't turned any lights on and her curtains were pulled shut. Her thoughts were in a turmoil as Amy curled into a tiny ball.

She felt sick and angry and homesick and lonely and disappointed all at the same time. Her stomach churched unpleasantly and there was a vile taste in her mouth. It felt as if there was giant weight on her chest and her heart felt like if there was a giant gaping hole in it. Amy hugged herself in an effort to relieve herself of some of the pain but it didn't do any good. She was still stuck in another world and the only way home was through murder.

Briefly her thoughts travelled back to when Ed had revealed the news. He had told Brosh and Ross not to tell anyone. He had begged for them not to speak a word of what he and Al had discovered. Ed had asked them not to tell anyone that the military had conducted human experiments. A flash of anger made Amy bolt upright. How could they? How could the military do this? How could they sacrifice people? She grabbed part of her uniform and chucked it as far as she could. The uniform hit a wall and landed in a pile on the floor.

As quick as the anger had come it was gone and Amy was back to feeling disgusted with herself. She was now part of an organization which killed humans for power. She was being paid by murderers. A fact she had been so happy of twenty four hours ago. But one day ago felt like another lifetime. One filled with innocence and happiness. It was almost like if she had been a small child who was suddenly exposed to the evils of the world. A world without magic or hope or anything good in it.

Amy curled back up into the fetal position. This was her second time being denied an opportunity to go home. Would she ever be able to see her friends and family again? Over half a month and nothing. Ed and Al had been searching for about three years. What if it took years and years before she found a way home? Would her family even remember her? What if they thought she was dead and had forgotten about her? Would they even recognize her? What if they were all dead? What would Amy do then?

A few tears dripped out of her eyes. Worse then the homesickness was the disappointment and loneliness. No one had spoke after Ed revealed the news. Al had tried to say something to Amy but she hadn't heard him. Not really. It was as if her soul had left her body. She hadn't been able to move or react. There had only been a heaviness in her heart and a weight on her chest. Her mind had kept repeating the same statement over and over again and her ears had stopped working. Eventually someone had decided it was best to go to the hotel and had gently guided Amy out of the room. After being checked in and shown to her room, Amy had shut the door, closed the curtains, changed her clothes, and collapsed onto the bed. She had drifted in and out of consciousness and was only able to tell the time from the clock on the wall.

"_What now?" _her brain asked.

The question echoed through her brain. What now? What should she do now? The Elrics had been searching for years and had found nothing. Now their only lead was dead.

"_What now?" _her brain asked again.

Amy still had no response. She had no idea. She was lost. Lost. Lost. Lost. Lost. Amy knew she would never kill to get home. She couldn't do that. Even if it meant never seeing her family again. She never wanted to see another dead body especially after Eastern. The image of the dead solider popped into Amy's head. Her body heaved as if Amy was going to throw up but nothing came up. It was worse then actually throwing up because there was no satisfaction of getting rid of the waste in her body and more tears dripped down Amy's face. She wanted her mom. She wanted to be safe at home in her own bed. She wanted to go home. Someplace safe and warm without murder and magic stones.

"Major please hold up," Amy heard Brosh call.

Footsteps were heading towards her door and they were coming fast. Amy's ears perked up.

"Major, Amy isn't feeling well," Ross told her superior.

"MS. KISHI," a voice bellowed at her door, "MS. KISHI IT IS I MAJOR ARMSTRONG HERE TO CHEER YOU UP!"

Amy quickly jumped off her bad. Now was no time to be angsty and mope. She needed to get away from Armstrong and fast. Luckily the door was locked so Amy could stall him for a few seconds. Her head whipped around frantically looking for a way out of this situation. Unfortunately the only exits were the door and the window and Amy was on the second floor. The door gave a giant shake as the Major pounded on it. Amy's heart speed up. No, no, no. She would never go angsty again. She promised she would never mope or act emo just as long as Armstrong decided not to cheer her up. Being cheered up meant hugs and sparkles. Amy liked her bones just the way they were, not squished!

"I HAVE COME TO HELP!" Armstrong shouted as he broke open the door.

The doorknob was in his hand and the door slammed into the wall. Sparkles surrounded his face and he looked happy to have damaged military property.

Amy's horrified expression (and her heart) froze and she could only let out a small eep of surprise.

"COME!" Armstrong beckoned, "I SHALL CHEER YOU AND THE ELRIC BROTHERS UP AT THE SAME TIME!"

If Amy could have remembered to how to run she would have run and jumped out the window at that moment. It didn't matter what floor she was on.

"LET US GO FORTH AND RIGHT THIS WRONG!" Armstrong shouted.

Before Amy could blink he had her tucked under one arm and was marching down the hallway to the Elric's room.

"Wait please!" Ross tired to stop her boss.

"They're still resting!" Brosh lied.

Armstrong ignored the two and marched right up to the door. He knocked on it so hard that the door almost flew off its hinges.

"ELRIC BROTHERS ARE YOU INSIDE?" Armstrong questioned, "IT IS I! CAN YOU OPEN THE DOOR?"

There was silence for a second as Armstrong waited for the Elrics to reply. Amy was still held captive under his arm and she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. She was definitely going to develop Armstrong phobia after this. Armstrong frowned as if he was thinking deeply. Instantly Amy was afraid. She shut her eyes and heard a loud cracking sound. Amy peeked through her fingers.

"I HAVE COME, EDWARD ELRIC," Armstrong declared after busting the door open.

Once again he had ripped the doorknob from the door and looked triumphant at his feat. Amy just gaped at the man's strength and how he didn't care that he had broken two doors in less then one minute. Brosh was crying however, the doors were probably coming from his paycheck. Ed and Al looked just as shocked and horrified as Amy had been when Armstrong had burst through her door.

"WHAT A TRADEGY!" Armstrong cried with sparkley tears, "To think that the Philosopher's stone would hide such a terrible secret."

He raised his hand to make a fist by his face. While doing this he accidently dropped Amy who wasted no time in picking herself up and running to hide behind Al. She was used to falling anyway and there was no way she was going to stand with in arm's width of Armstrong. Her heart pounded madly in her chest and Amy wondered if sparkley men were listed under the causes of heart attacks.

"IT IS A MOST GRAVE SITUATION THAT THE MILITARY BE PART OF THIS DEMON RESEACH," Armstrong declared, "I CANNOT STAND BY AND ALLOW THIS TO PASS!"

Amy peeked out from behind Al. Ed was looking at Brosh and Ross. His expression was impossible to describe, but it clearly conveyed that Ed hated how Armstrong knew about the research because it lead to Armstrong bursting into his hotel room and crying.

"I'm sorry," Ross avoided Ed's eyes.

"When a guy that annoying got that close, we had to talk," Brosh explained looking like he was going to cry again.

Apparently Amy was not the only one scarred by Armstrong's 'manly' actions.

"Oh your right arm is artificial," Brosh noticed (forgetting that he had just been avoiding Ed and had been about to cry).

Amy sweatdropped at the man's quick ability to forget what had just happened.

"Oh you see there was this little incident in the east area during the war," Ed quickly lied.

"Yes, yes, and we need the Philosopher's stone to restore his body," Al added on.

"What about you?" Ross asked Amy.

"Uhh," Amy's brain went haywire trying to come up with an excuse, "I was assigned to keep track of the Elrics. They often disappear and don't mention in their reports where they went."

Brosh and Ross seemed to believe Amy's terrible lie. She let out a sigh of relief when their attention went back to Ed.

"Oh, I see," Brosh nodded his head, "Sometimes the truth can be so cruel."

Ed's eyes widened.

"The truth," he murmured.

"What's wrong, brother?" Al questioned noticing Ed's weird behavior.

"Do you remember what Dr. Marcoh said?" Ed asked Al.

"Huh," Al said confused.

"Come on what he said at the station," Ed explained.

Amy thought back to the station. She had been upset after leaving. Then the old lady. Then her in the box (she still needed to get revenge on someone for that). The Elrics had cheered her up. Dr. Marcoh had come. He mentioned something about the location and the truth! But what? What had he said exactly? Amy tried to recall but the words seemed to slip from her mind.

"The truth behind the truth," Ed looked as if thinking hard, "I get it. There's still something else."

"I'll go get the files," Brosh told them and hurried out the door.

"I'll help," Ross ran out after Brosh.

The air seemed to change. Instead of being depressed as it had been seconds ago, it seemed full of nervous energy. No one was focusing on the fact that less then three minutes ago everyone had been moping around. Now they were in a hurry to retrieve the next clue. Amy couldn't figure out how everyone could make transitions that easily.

"What are we missing?" Ed frowned.

"Maybe there was something else in the notes," Armstrong suggested.

"No we read every page of those notes," Al confessed, "The only thing mentioned was that humans were used to make Philosopher's stones and why they were used."

"Maybe something had a double meaning," Ed thought aloud.

"Its possible," Armstrong stroked his cheek thoughtfully.

Amy's stomach twisted uncomfortably. If this part was following the anime then she knew what was going to happen next. Should she tell Ed? But what if she was wrong? Then what? Besides right after the laboratory she had stopped watching the anime. Amy had no idea what happened afterwards. It was a complete mystery to her. But this could be important. It could be the key to getting her home before 2020. She couldn't say it outright though. That could have serious consequences. Maybe she could hint at it.

But how could she hint at it? _I bet the abandoned laboratory has some answers. _She might as well just say it at the point. Amy rested her head in her right hand and her bent elbow in her left hand. Now that she thought about the anime had never really gone into how Ed had reached his conclusion. One moment Ed had was being slapped by Ross (which hadn't happened here) and the next he was looking at maps. There was no bridge connecting the two. Wait inside the lab there were circles and places to hold people captive. Making humans into stones isn't something one could do in public even if it was the military performing the transmutation. They would have to do it someplace with enough space and solitude so that no one would walk in on the transmutation.

"Space," Amy spoke.

Ed, Al, and Armstrong turned to look at Amy. The wheels in Amy's head began to turn as she tried to explain her conclusion without spoiling Ed's discovery.

"Space," Amy repeated keeping her eyes on the floor (it was easier to lie if Amy wasn't looking at the person), "This wasn't something you could do in the middle of the street. Most of the military probably doesn't know about this so it wasn't at a military base or in public. So the military would need some kind of space to do the transmutation."

Amy waited nervously to see what Ed and Al would say. She hoped she hadn't spoiled too much by saying what she just said. If Ed and Al didn't pick up her hint then there was nothing more Amy could say without ruining everything. Gah! Why couldn't she have been one of those girls sucked into FMA after only seeing the first episode or something? That way she wouldn't have to deal with if everything was according to the plot or if the plot in the manga was different and if she was messing the plot up.

"An alchemic research institute," Ed snapped his fingers, "Dr. Marcoh must have worked at one while doing his research. Only state alchemists are allowed in so no else would know about what was going on."

"It would also provide plenty of space to perform the transmutation," Al pointed out.

"I shall inform Sergeant Brosh to retrieve information on where Dr. Marcoh worked," Armstrong ran out of the room, through the open doorway, with a trail of sparkles following him.

Amy was the only one who seemed to notice as she gaped at the man. How does one produce pink sparkles anyway? Ed and Al were too caught up in trying to figure out the truth behind the truth to pay a lot of attention to the sparkley Major.

"Maybe he stored more research at the institute," Al offered.

Ed frowned as he pondered that possibility. Amy looked at the broken door and then at the Elric brothers. She would never understand how the people in this world could move from one thing to another so fast. Maybe it was a manga thing.

* * *

(Fire is everywhere, bombs keep going off, woah was that lightening? Oh awesome a giant metal arm! Ouch look out for those spikes! Run people run! Oh ouch! Oooo that looks bad.)

Tigger: Gah! Hit the ground!

Amy: I think we need help.

Winry: She deflected my wrench.

Amy: Yeah we're in trouble.

(BOOM!)

Tigger: Hey was that the Inuyasha plushie?! Okay maybe I'll call in for back-up. Do you think Batman is free?


	40. Slang and Bickering

(Now Tigger, Amy, and Winry are hiding in a secret underground tunnel. The ceiling above them keeping and they are sitting there thinking)

Tigger: Great! Just great! She destroyed my fort! I worked hard on that!

Amy: Look on the bright side we're still alive.

Winry: We can't say the same for Ed and Al.

Tigger: Mary-Sue won't hurt them. Besides sometimes in war sacrifices have to be made.

Winry: When you say it like that....

Amy: So what do we do now?

Tigger: We wait till I get an idea.

(A long silence follows)

Amy: (whispers) Maybe we should thank the reviewers while we wait.

Winry: (whispers) We have nothing better to do.

Amy: Okay well than thanks to 13Lulu's, T. C. Meade, XxLexiLacerationxX, Draconian Master, YukinoKara, EchoesXGrace, Kimiko Otakuwa, the sugar-crazed alchemist, Nut and Shell, lilypop8, The Sora-muffin, Jacqui 04, and Pipe Fox Spirit for reviewing/favoriting.

Tigger: I have an idea!

Winry: And!

Tigger: I can't tell you, but did everyone have their anti-sure serum from Draconian Master?

Amy: Yeah but...

Tigger: There's no time! Grab your sporks ladies we've got a fic to save!

Winry: Oh boy.

* * *

"Amy," Al grabbed Amy's attention, "That was a good idea. Thank you."

"Oh, uhmm, no prob," Amy scratched the back of her head nervously.

"Prob?" Al repeated.

"Its short for problem," Amy explained, "It's AIM chat. Everything is shortened for typing convenience."

Ed and Al gave Amy a strange look like Amy was speaking a different language.

"Oh sorry," Amy realized her mistake, "No computers, right."

"Computer?" Ed asked.

"Well you see," Amy fumbled over her words trying to figure out how to explain something that didn't exist.

Luckily Amy was saved from explaining computers by Brosh, Ross, and Armstrong returning to the room with arms full of papers. They dumped the papers on the small coffee table in the room and they all surrounded the table. Amy stood behind Ed and Al as they began to sort through the papers. She had no idea what to do. How could she help? Sure now she was part of the military but she wasn't any more useful then she was before. She couldn't fight or even shoot a gun. Heck she couldn't even hold a gun without freaking out. Soon Ed and Al would be sneaking out to go to Lab 5. What would she do then? Would she go with them or stay behind? Then what? How would it go from there? Wasn't Barry the Chopper there? Amy shivered at that thought. The danger here was real and scary, Amy knew this from experience.

Amy glanced at Ed and Al. They weren't scared. They weren't worried. They had a goal and they were going to complete it. Didn't she have a goal that she had to complete at all costs? Amy nodded to herself. She sat down next to the table and grabbed the first piece of paper her hands made contact with. It was rolled up and tied with a cord but Amy was able to untie it rather quickly.

"It's a map of Central," Amy realized looking at the piece of paper in her hand.

The paper was blank on one side but the other side had tiny little squares and rectangles labeled with things like 'Fourth Avenue' or 'Headquarters'.

"May I see the map Ms. Kishi?" Armstrong asked politely.

Amy nodded and handed it over. With one hand Armstrong swept the table clean and then he laid the paper out on the table.

"Currently there are four locations which are used as research institutes," Armstrong explained as he pointed out four locations, "Dr. Marcoh used to work for the third institute."

Ed examined where the Major was pointing closely. Then he looked at the rest of the map.

"Yeah," he spoke, "I passed through all the institutes when I first became a state alchemist. That one didn't look like it was doing anything important though."

His eyes scrolled across the paper.

"This one," Ed pointed at a small block well away from the other institutes, "What about this one?"

Something clicked in Amy's brain. Hadn't she seen a similar map like this in one of her books? Yeah there had been an entire section dedicated to research institutes. It never said what each institute was researching but it did list all of the past and present institutes and their locations. She could at least tell Ed what building that was right? She couldn't do any harm by telling him a location.

"That used to be the fifth research institute," Amy quoted directly from her study guide (number 13 part B), "Now the building is abandoned due to danger of a collapsing entrance. Entry is prohibited."

"Are you sure?" Ed questioned.

"Mmm-hmm," Amy nodded her head yes, "I rewrote all of my study guides at least six times and lab five was even circled on a map."

"It's this one," Ed said firmly pointing at lab five.

"How did you come to that conclusion?" Brosh asked.

"There's a prison next to it," Ed explained, "To make the Philosopher's stone live human sacrifices are needed. That means they need a place for the humans to be supplied from. There's a jail next door to the research institute."

Amy's stomach felt a little sick when Ed mentioned the sacrifices. He didn't seem so happy with his own deduction either but he was right. The perfect place to get human sacrifices is from a place where people are sent for life. No one would miss prisoners or at least that was the idea. Amy's thoughts trailed back to her brief time in a cell in Eastern. Prisoners were people too even if they broke the law.

"Now that I think about it," Brosh stated, "Executed inmates aren't returned to their families for burial. The public is told they're put to death in the gallows in the prison."

Amy made a sound of disgust and fear when Brosh said that. The gallows was a cruel way to go. Then again could it really be much worse then lethal injections?

"The public is told they are put to death," Ed continued, "But they are really kept alive and shipped over to the fifth institute where they are experimented for the Philosopher's stone. Don't you think that the location is suspicious?"

"The inmates are raw materials," Ross looked queasy as she said this.

"Don't give me that look," Ed told her, "I feel sick explaining it."

A thought passed through Amy's brain that made her stomach sink. They wouldn't. They couldn't. Someone would notice. Amy had a feeling that they would cover it up though.

"Amestrsis is a small country," Amy half-asked half-stated in a small voice, "Its current size is rather recent so there can't be that many people. That must mean not that many people in jail. Even less people would be sentenced to death. You need lots of people to make a Philosopher's stone."

There was a pause as Amy tried to figure out a polite way to say what she was thinking. But no matter which way she worded her thoughts it still made her feel nauseous and disgusting.

"Maybe," she began, "Maybe they used prisoners not sentenced to death too."

Everyone in the room paled at Amy's statement. No one said that her theory was probably right but then again, no one disagreed either.

"Considering that this is a prison," Brosh wondered out loud, "I wonder if it means that the government is involved with this."

"We don't know if the ones involved are warden level or government level," Ed replied.

"Somehow I feel like we've poked our heads in too far into something far too big," Ross said looking even queasier then before.

"That's why we told you to pretend you didn't hear anything," Al sighed.

"The government may have no connection," Armstrong pointed out, "This is all just speculation right now. The institute may have acted independently."

"Yeah," Ed agreed.

"Who's in charge of this research organization?" Al asked.

"That would be the Iron-Blooded Alchemist," Armstrong answered, "Brigadier General Basque Gran."

"_Isn't that name in the anime?" _Amy thought to herself, "_Yeah he was involved in the Tucker case and in the chase of Marcoh. Wonder what he does in the manga?"_

"Great then we'll just talk to this Brigadier General," Ed announced.

"You can not," Armstrong interrupted with a serious expression on his face, "He was murdered by Scar the other day."

Amy's stomach did a funny twist when she heard that. One doesn't forget near death experiences.

"Many State Alchemists affiliated with higher ranks if the military were murdered by Scar," Armstrong explained, "Among those there could have been a few that knew the truth. If anyone of higher ranks, other then General Brigadier Gran, know about the research institute then things will become complicated."

Armstrong rolled up the map and stood up.

"I will probe into this," he told them, "Until then the Second Lieutenant and Sergeant will keep quiet about this matter and the Elric Brothers and Amy are to stay put!"

"What?!" Ed and Al protested.

Both brothers looked nervous as they realized their mistake. Armstrong turned his head towards the two glared at them.

"Grr! YOU TWO WERE THINKING OF SNEAKING INSIDE AND INVESTIGATING WERE YOU NOT?" Armstrong yelled at them while pointing at the map.

If Amy thought that a happy Armstrong was scary then an angry Armstrong was downright terrifying. She sat there frozen with fear while Armstrong reprimanded the Elrics.

"YOU WILL NOT!" Armstrong commanded with a very angry face, "EVEN THOUGH THERE MAY BE A WAY TO RESTORE YOUR BODIES IN THERE, A CHILD SHOULD NOT DO SUCH DANGEROUS THINGS!"

As he spoke Armstrong snorted like an angry bull about to charge.

"ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT!" Ed tried to appease the older man, "I GET IT! I GET IT!"

Ed took a deep breathe to calm himself down and held his hands up in a surrendering motion.

"We won't do anything dangerous like that," Ed promised.

"We'll wait for the Major's report," Al agreed.

Armstrong turned his expression towards Amy.

"I'll be with the Elrics the entire time," Amy admitted fearfully.

Technically Amy hadn't lied. She just hadn't told Armstrong where exactly the Elric brothers would be.

Satisfied, Armstrong nodded and left the room with all the papers. Brosh and Ross hurried after Armstrong telling them that they would be right outside the room if they were needed. Once all three military members had left Amy, Ed, and Al let out a big sigh of relief. Then Ed picked up the forgotten doorknob and alchemically fixed the door. The two brothers looked at each other and then Ed glanced out the window. It had just become dark and there were still a lot of people wandering the street. That meant the Elric brothers would have to wait a bit before sneaking out.

Amy wondered what she should do now. Did she ask to go with them? But how did she explain how she knew what they were going to do? Would they even let Amy go with them? It didn't matter if they invited her or not. Amy knew her way to the fifth institute she had seen the map long enough. She would sneak out herself if she had to.

"_Easier said then done," _a voice in her head reminded her.

She brushed that voice aside. It always looked easy in the t.v. shows. Most people said you couldn't depend on television shows for the truth but most people weren't stuck in another world either.

"Thank you for your help Amy," Al thanked Amy sincerely, "We now have a lead."

Amy blushed at the compliment.

"No, no you guys did most of the thinking. Besides we're all working towards the same goal right?" she smiled at the two of them, "You guys are really strong and bright. I just want to help in any way I can."

"We're really not that wonderful," Al mumbled although he was obviously very pleased to receive a compliment."

Ed looked like he was thinking about something deeply.

"Amy," he said in a low voice, "How far will you go to get back to your family?"

Amy paused and thought about the question. How far would she go? She knew she couldn't kill anybody, but what if it was the only way to see her family? Would she do it then? How far would she go? Would she be willing to loose limbs for her family members? Would she be willing to hurt others? Ed and Al were different then Amy and her family. They had a rare strong bond. Most twenty-first century families didn't have those kind of bonds because they didn't have to go through terrible things like the Elrics did. But did that mean Amy didn't have the right to go home to her family? She closed her eyes and imagined her family and friends. These were the people who had taught her how to walk and talk. The people she first fought with. The people she loved. Without them Amy wouldn't be the person she was today. A world without her family seemed very lonely. They were all she had. The only thing that she could depend on forever and now was her family and they were…they were…in a different century in an incomprehensible distance in another plane of reality. It felt like someone squeezed her heart tightly when she said that. She looked down at her hands. They looked so funny that Amy sometimes forgot they were her own hands. They were three-dimensional but anime/manga-looking at the same time.

"_A different world…" _Amy thought as she studied her hand intently.

The words were so unbelievable even on her own tongue. A part of Amy, somewhere deep down, thought she would wake up in a moment and discover this all to be a dream. But the rational part of Amy knew this was real and that she needed to get home before something terrible could happen to her or, even worse, if something terrible happened to her family while she was gone.

"I love them," Amy admitted, "I love them so much. I miss them. I want to see them again. Just for a second. I want to know they're okay. I want to see my sisters grow up. I want to hug my mom and dad. I want to joke around with my friends."

Tears began to build up in Amy's eyes but she wouldn't let them fall.

"I know I'm not missing anything physically like you guys," Amy continued, "But that doesn't mean I'm any less willing. I may be a klutz and a bit of coward, but I still want to help. I have morals. Lines I can't cross. Lines I don't think I'll be able to cross even if it meant my family. But I'll try almost anything to go back to them. I won't kill or murder or hurt innocent people, but I'll try anything else."

Ed nodded in understanding.

"Then would you be willing to sneak into the fifth research institute in about an hour?" he asked.

Amy nodded her head enthusiastically and brushed the tears from her eyes.

"Of course."

"Be ready to go around nine a clock then," Ed instructed her, "Grab anything you need now and be in here by then."

Amy nodded again and stood up from her position on the ground.

"Oh wait, before I forget. Would one of you mind fixing my door? Armstrong broke it when he came to uhh…cheer me up."

The Elric brothers sweatdropped as they thought of the Major.

"I'll help fix it, Amy," Al told her, "We can go right now and you can get anything you need before we sneak out."

"Okay."

"We'll be right back brother," Al told his brother as he and Amy headed over to the door.

A wicked grin appeared on Ed's face and a glint appeared in his eye.

"I see," Ed grinned, "Okay then run along and fix Amy's door."

Ed chuckled slightly as he waved them off.

"Brother!" Al objected, "Brother, what are you implying?"

"Nothing, nothing," Ed waved his hand around, "You just seem so eager to help Amy. I'm just going to leave you two alone."

"Brother!"

"Just wait till Winry hears about this," Ed smiled wickedly.

"Brother! That's not it! Stop teasing me!"

"Now what's the point of being a big brother if I can't tease my little brother about…."

"Brother!" Al interrupted and the two continued bickering.

* * *

Mary-Sue: Come out come out wherever you are Amy! It's my turn to be the star of the fic. Look Edward has fallen for me already. (points to a drooling Edward and Alphonse)

Tigger: Not on our watch! Fire!

(Giant sporks fall from the sky directed at Mary-Sue.)

Mary-Sue: Did you forget that I am the Philosopher's stone? (claps hands and all the sporks turn into Ed plushies)

Tigger: Oh come on that go aganist the laws of alchemy!

Mary-Sue: I am the stone. I can do anything.

Tigger: Fine then! Tarzan I choose you!

(Tarzan swings in on a vine and hits Mary-Sue. Tigger continues to launch random characters and stuff at Mary-Sue. Meanwhile Winry sneaks behind Ed and Al and knocks them out with her wrench. Then she drags them away.)

Mary-Sue: You can not defeat me!

Tigger: I don't have to! Look!

(Edward walks over to Mary.)

Mary-Sue: Edward darling please stop these people from attacking me.

Edward: No.

Mary-Sue: But why?

Edard: I don't take orders from (censored) well. Besides why would I waste my time with an ugly human like you?

Mary-Sue: Ugly? Me? Edward? Rejected?! NOOOOO!!!! (melts)

Amy: And that takes care of that. Here's the money I promised you Envy.

Edward: (turns into Envy) What am I supposed to do with this human cash?

Tigger: Go buy yourself a pair of pants?

Envy: Your lucky I enjoy torturing humans otherwise you would all be dead right now.

(Envy walks away)

Tigger: It was nice to seeing you too! Ya palm tree!

Winry: So what are we going to do with this puddle of Mary-Sue?

Tigger: I'm sure the reviewers will think of something. Who wants cake?


	41. Daring Dashing Dangers

(Tigger is lounging around on a beach chair reading a book. Behind her there is a very beautiful fountain. That sprays water at certain times and in different sequences. The water also glows a rainbow color in certain lights.)

Amy: Oh hey Tigger. When did we get that new fountain?

Tigger: (turns page in book) Winry made it for me. She said it was to help with my writing troubles and make me feel better.

Amy: It's very pretty.

Tigger: I know. Winry had to be really careful when constructing it though.

Amy: How come?

Tigger: That reminds me I wanted to thank my reviewers AliasAurora, vampireluver1613, the snow alchemist, nihonnut, White Wing Alchemist, Nut and Shell, The Sora-muffin, Something Dysfunctional, lilypop8, Lizzy lou, reviewer45, YukinoKara, arden_anam, ita-chan01, bookrascal, the sugar-crazed alchemist, Draconian Master, Ria442, EclipseRibbon, xWeaselxWolfx, and ..

Amy: That's alot fo reviewers.

Tigger: I know! LOOK I'M FAMOUS! Okay well maybe not really. I don't think I'm famous until someone tries to copy my story but uses a different character name.

Amy: -_- You want that to happen? Wait a second weren't we talking about the fountain?

Tigger: Can you believe we're on chapter 41? Now that I think about much hasn't happened. But I finally got on track with the story. Just so I can go offtrack again in like ten chapters, but after that everything will be on track.

Amy: You keep changing the subject!

Tigger: I do not!

Amy: Do too.

(While the two are bickering Ed appears. He gives the two a funny look but they don't notice him. Ed decides to investigate the fountain.)

Tigger: DO NOT! (the book slips out of her hand and hits Ed in the back of the head. Ed begins to fall into the fountain but he sticks his right arm into the water to stop himself)

Tigger: Oh no.

Ed: TIGGER! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT FOR?

Tigger: Ed if I were you I would move your hand quickly.

Ed: What? (glances at hand) MY AUTOMAIL IS MELTING!

Amy: So that's why Winry had to be careful.

Tigger: Yeah the fountain's water is made from the Mary-Sue puddle. For some reason it dissolves everything except marble.

Ed: THINGS THAT DANGEROUS SHOULDN'T BE MADE THEN!

Tigger: BUT IT'S PRETTY!

Ed: YOU CAN'T PUT OTHERS AT RISK BECAUSE YOU LIKE HOW SOMETHING LOOKS!

Tigger: SAYS YOU!

Ed: YOU DON'T EVEN OWN FMA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS! WHAT GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO TORTURE US?

Tigger: Hey! That was low!

Ed: What do I care? You dissolved my automail!

Tigger: WINRY, ED BROKE YOUR AUTOMAIL AGAIN!

Winry: EDWARD ELRIC!

Amy: Methinks its time to start this chapter.

* * *

Ed looked like he was enjoying himself as he taunted Al who was frantic and trying to persuade his brother that he was getting the wrong message. Amy watched slightly confused but happy that Ed and Al had seemed to have temporarily forgotten their problems. However, she really needed her door to be fixed.

"Al uhmm," Amy tried to speak over the brothers' bickering.

They didn't hear her.

"Guys," Amy spoke again, "Guys! Hello! YOU PEOPLE!"

The brothers turned to stare at Amy. She blushed at the attention but continued to talk anyway.

"My door still needs to be fixed," she reminded them.

The two Elrics looked at each other and blinked. They both took a step back and looked a little sheepish.

"Sorry Amy we got carried away," Al apologized.

"It's okay. It looks like you guys were having fun."

"It's has been a while since I've been able to tease Al like that," Ed smirked, "Reminds me of when those kids confused you for some sort of ride at a carnival."

"Brother! You promised not to mention that!" Al objected.

"Really? I don't remember," Ed looked in the other direction.

"Liar," Al accused, "Do you want me to tell Amy about the incident at the Charles's Farm when we were little?"

Ed's face paled and he looked at his brother warily.

"You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Do it and I'll tell Amy about the time after you saw the Fly!"

"I'll tell her about the incident in the south!"

"I'll mention the time someone thought you were a costume!"

"I'll call Winry and tell her about the letter you almost wrote to her!"

"How did you know about that?"

"I saw it when I was taking out the trash. You're so messy brother."

"As your older brother you should give me more respect."

"I only give respect to people who earn it."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Amy decided that Ed and Al would probably continue bickering for a while and that she could always use duct tape to fix her door. No one would probably notice anyway.

************************************************************************

One hour later Amy was back in the Elrics' room. Al and Ed had eventually stopped fighting long enough for Al to fix Amy's door. Amy was wearing new clean clothes and had her hammer in her hands. A pair of dark blue jeans hung around her hips and she was wearing an oversized long sleeved blue shirt with a black short-sleeve top over. Her stomach did some flip-flops while Ed and Al prepared the escape rope. The rope being a bunch of sheets alchemically combined together. Al had assured Amy that the sheets wouldn't break or tear apart, but that didn't really help Amy's nerves. She took a deep breath as Al finished meshing the sheets together. Then he tied one end of the sheet to the bedpost beneath the window and pulled it tight.

"Ready," Al announced.

"I'll go first," Ed told them.

Amy and Al nodded. It was much darker then it had been an hour ago and there was no one on the streets but they were still being cautious. Ed lowered himself out the window and disappeared out of sight. Amy swallowed nervously and gripped her hammer tighter. Her heart beat a little faster and a nervous sweat was starting to form on her neck. Al, who had been watching his brother climb down, motioned to Amy that it was her time to climb. Nervously Amy walked over to the window. She sat on the edge and put the handle of her hammer in her mouth. Then she grabbed the sheets with her sweaty palms. Amy tossed her legs over the side of window, out into the open air, and slid closer and closer to the edge of the window. Her stomach did a little flip-flop as she caught a glance of the ground.

It wasn't that Amy was afraid of heights. No heights were no problem. Amy just had issues with falling. She knew from personal experience how much falling could hurt and anything over twice her height made her a bit apprehensive. Swallowing her fears Amy dropped herself off the edge. There was a frightening moment when Amy could only feel gravity pulling her down, but it only lasted a second as the sheet pulled tight and Amy 's fall came to a sudden and painful stop. Immediately Amy wrapped her legs around the rope and waited as it swung back and forth. Once it had stopped Amy tried to scoot her way down the rope. She found out rather quickly that this method wouldn't work. Amy was too scared to move her feet from their secure position and her hands were aching from holding her body up. Not to mention the rope would turn whenever Amy moved.

"Come on, Amy," Ed whispered.

Amy didn't respond. Her stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster and Amy's arms were beginning to feel like jello. She tried to scoot again but the rope turned and Amy's heart began to pound madly.

"_I can do this. I can do this."_ She tried to assure herself.

The wall appeared in Amy's vision as the rope continued to turn. An idea struck Amy and she decided to act on it before she chickened out. Quickly she detangled her legs from the rope and pushed them against the wall. She straightened out her legs and held the rope firmly with her arms. Then, slowly and stiffly, she took a step backward. She took tiny itty bitty steps, making sure to keep her body as straight as possible, and slid her hands down the rope. Her arms shook from the strain, her teeth dug into the wooden handle of her hammer (which seemed to be getting heavier and heavier), and Amy was glad that she hadn't eaten anything in a while. She tried to focus solely on climbing and not on the drop beneath her or how what she was doing was incredibly stupid and moronic. Eventually Amy was close to the ground and she dropped her feet from the wall. Her feet swung for a moment before touching the ground and Amy released the rope.

Her body trembled as she took the hammer from her mouth and let out a huge sigh of relief. The butterflies began to disappear and Amy felt slightly jittery from the adrenaline which had been pumping through her veins. Ed motioned to Al for him to climb down and Al joined them on the ground quickly.

"Are you okay, Amy?" Al asked.

"Fine," Amy responded, her voice a bit shakey, "I'm just fine."

"You did a good job for a first climber," Ed assured her, "Now let's get going."

"_Does this mean he's done this more then once?"_ Amy asked herself.

She didn't say anything though as Ed and Al began to jog off and Amy followed. Her legs were a bit strained but her arms had suffered the worse of the climb so she was able to keep up.

"Like hell we'll wait around," Ed spoke as they ran through the poorly lit streets, "It's our own fault our bodies became like this. That's why it's our responsibility to find a way to restore them."

Amy nor Al said anything as Ed lead them through the streets. Amy's hammer felt heavy in her swinging arm and her lungs burned slightly but Amy didn't say complain. As they approached the building the trio slowed down and ducked behind the wall surrounding the research institute. They slid along the side of the wall watching out for any guards. The three of them poked their heads around the corner to see a guard standing in front of the main entrance with a cigarette and a gun.

"A guard at an abandoned building," Ed muttered.

"How suspicious," Al agreed keeping his voice low.

"What now?" Amy asked in a whisper.

"We could make an entrance," Ed suggested.

"The guard will spot us from the light from the transmutation," Al pointed out.

"Then that leaves," Ed trailed looking up at the wall.

The wall was made of stone and very solid. It must have been at least fourteen feet high and there was a foot of barbed wire at the top of the wall. Al nodded agreeing to his brother's silent plan. He laced his fingers together and squatted slightly. Ed placed one foot in his Al's hands and nodded.

"Up you go," Al whispered as he tossed his brother into the air.

Ed went flying upwards in a neat arc before landing on top of the wall with his metal leg. Then Ed began to uncurl the barbed wire with his automail hand.

"I don't want to admit it," Ed sighed, "But at times like these I'm glad these aren't my natural limbs."

"I feel the same way," Al admitted.

Amy watched the entire process fascinated by how well the brothers worked together. Ed finished uncurling the wire and motioned for Al to come up. Al nodded and looked at Amy.

"Amy, come here," he told her.

Amy nodded wondering how the heck they planned to get her over the wall. She hoped that she wasn't thrown over to the top of the wall like Ed had been. Amy doubted she could land as gracefully or without injuring herself in some way. Al laced his fingers together and squatted down.

"_I hate you irony gods,"_ Amy thought as she cautiously stepped on Al's hands.

She limbs seem to lock together and Amy tried not to glance at the wall looming over her head.

"Here we go," Al whispered.

Then Amy was thrown upwards.

************************************************************************

Al watched as Amy soared through the air. She wasn't as graceful as brother but she didn't scream or cry either. Although Al suspected she was too frightened too. He was a bit impressed with Amy though. It was obvious that she had never done climbed out a window or snuck into a building before but she wasn't complaining or making a fuss. She was hesitant yes, but that was normal. Al had been hesitant the first time he had to do things like this although his brother hadn't. Then again his brother wasn't exactly a normal person. Amy landed, not so gracefully, on the wall. Her stomach went over the wall and her legs dangled on one side. Brother helped her up and then he jumped down the other side. Al could see Amy's eyes widen as she looked at the drop.

"_Brother is testing her," _Al thought as he grabbed the untangled wire his brother made and began to pull himself up the wall, "_I could have easily carried her out the window and up this wall. But brother is making her do it herself. He can be so cruel sometimes."_

Al sighed at his brother's antics and grabbed the uncurled wire. He began to pull himself up. This was one of the many times he was thankful for his metal body. In this suit he couldn't feel the pain or stress that a climb like this would impose on a normal human body. Amy was still sitting on top of the wall when Al reached the top. It looked like she was trying to figure out a way down without hurting herself. Brother meanwhile was exploring the building looking for entrances. Amy looked at Al as he sat beside her.

"I'll drop down and help you if you want," Al offered feeling bad for Amy. There was only so much she could do. Both he and brother had received training from their teacher, and every officer in the military was trained too. Amy was the only one at a disadvantage here.

"Just push me," Amy told him looking at the ground below her.

"What?" Al asked bewildered.

"Just shove me really hard," Amy repeated.

"I don't know," Al answered hesitantly.

"I want to get down on my own," Amy explained.

Al looked uncomfortable. He didn't want to go against Amy's request but shoving her off a wall wasn't something he wanted to do either. Deciding that Amy knew what was best for herself, Al pushed her off the wall. Amy fell through the air quickly and landed on the ground with a loud 'thump'. The force caused Amy to bend her knees and Amy didn't move for a few seconds. Panic spread through Al. Did he hurt her? Did she break something? Why wasn't she moving? Just as he was about to jump down he noticed Amy get up. Relieved he lowered himself to the ground.

"Are you alright Amy?" he asked.

"My legs hate me but they're fine," Amy replied stretching her legs.

"I'm glad," Al confessed, "I was worried when you weren't moving."

Al could see Amy blush in the dark.

"Oh uh, I'm fine," Amy answered, "Thank you for pushing me."

"Argh all the entrances are sealed shut," Brother complained coming back from investigating the building.

Something caught Brother's eye. Al looked over to see an air vent sticking out of the building. Brother walked over to the building and examined the air vent.

"Hey Al can you give me a lift?"

"Sure brother."

Al jogged over to his brother and Amy followed. He knelt down on the ground and Brother climbed onto his shoulders. Carefully, so that brother wouldn't fall off, Al stood up. Ed removed the vent and looked inside.

"Looks like it goes through the entire building," Ed noted, "Al, Amy, wait here."

"Are you going to be okay by yourself?" Al asked concerned.

"It's not so much a matter of being okay," Ed explained climbing into the air vent, "But its too dangerous for Amy and your huge body won't fit in here. I'll be back."

By the time he finished his sentence, Brother was already fully into the air vent and crawling away. Al sat on the ground feeling depressed.

"I didn't want this huge body," Al said sadly.

"It's not your fault Al," Amy tried to console him, "You're really cool the way you are. Your brother is just happens to be really tiny. I don't think I can even fit through that hole."

Al's spirits perked up hearing that. It wasn't every day he was called cool for being a suit of armor. Al was just about to thank Amy when there was a large banging sound. It sounded like someone had hit something metal with their head.

"Brother?" Al called out unsurely while looking at the air vent.

"Maybe he heard me call him tiny," Amy offered also looking at the air vent.

"It's possible," Al sighed.

Brother had excellent hearing when it came to someone insulting him. He could hear someone call him tiny from hundred meters away. Then at other times Brother would sleep through an explosion.

Amy and Al fell into silence as they waited for Brother to return. A couple of times they broth tried to start conversations but they quickly died. It was obvious that both their minds were occupied with other matters. Time passed and Al's worries increased.

"Brother's late," Al murmured, "I hope he didn't get lost jeez…"

Amy didn't say anything. It looked like she was really concerned about something.

"Hyuu."

Al's senses sharpened. That was definitely a male voice and it sounded nearby. There was a 'whoosing' sound and Al sidestepped just in time. His arms went up into fighting position as something slammed into the ground.

"Frick!" Amy yelped as the person crashed into the ground, knife first.

Debris was sent flying into the air as dust whirled around, but Al was able to get a glimpse of the attacker. He was short with a mane of white hair and horns. It seemed like he had metal all over him.

"Wha?" Al questioned confused, "Who are you?"

He glanced at Amy from the corner of his eye. She looked terrified and was trying to make herself appear invisible against the wall. He tightened his guard as his opponent recovered.

"Hmm, you're pretty fast for a big guy," his opponent sounded impressed, "This wouldn't be any fun if you weren't."

The man stood up. He was wearing a suit of armor covered with a half-robe of some sort and tied together with stings with metal loops at the end. There were two horns on his head and one horn on each knuckle. In his hand was a butcher knife. It was long, thick, and sharp.

"You asked me who I am so I'm going to tell you," his opponent announced, "I'm Number 66! This is only the name I go by when I'm working though."

Al watched the man carefully making sure not to let a single movement go unnoticed. His fighting instincts had kicked in. This was one of the only things that remained with him since his younger non-armor days. Al supposed it was because fighting was more in the mind then in the body. If Al could remember how to dodge, what signs to look for, and remember the steps to a correct round-kick then his current body would react the same way as his old one. Fighting was also one of the few times Al was thankful for his body. With his metal exterior physical injuries were impossible and he never tired either. He was relying on this to beat Number 66.

"I got a real name," Number 66 explained, "But you'll shrink when you hear it. I'll tell you right before I finish you off."

"You mean you plan to kill me?" Al asked.

This wasn't making any sense. Why would there be guards, assassins, at an abandoned building? The building was supposed to be prohibited according to the reports. This meant that Brother had been right.

"_There is more then meets the eye here."_

"Geh-heh-heh," Number 66 laughed, "What, I'll take you apart nice and neat. Don't worry, just scream."

66 held the knife up in front of his face and rubbed it lovingly. A normal person would have probably shuddered at this motion but Al had learned to control his expressions long ago. Any hint, whether it is physical or emotional, could give the opponent the advantage they need. Al raised his fist as Number 66 raised his knife. Suddenly Number 66 launched himself forward. He was fast but Al was faster. Al dodged and punched him in the face. The force of the punch sent Number 66 flying backwards.

"Dehh!" Number 66 cried out as he hit the ground.

The man propped himself up on one elbow and gave Al an evil glare.

"Son of a bitch," 66 muttered as he got up again.

Al held his hands out and positioned his feet ready for another attack. Number 66 dashed forward again and Al prepared to block him. However at the last second Number 66 darted to the side out of Al's reach. Al whirled around to see Number 66 running towards Amy. His eyes widened as Al realized what was going on. He had been so caught up in the fight that he had forgotten about Amy. Amy was frozen to the wall with her eyes wide. Her hammer was held loosely in her hands as she watched.

"Got ya now sweetie!" Number 66 yelled as he raised his knife.

Amy hit the wall as she tried to escape from Number 66's reach. There was creak and the section of the wall Amy was leaning against spun. It all happened so fast and the next thing Al knew Number 66's knife hit an empty wall. Number 66 looked around confused.

"Now where did she go?" he asked.

* * *

Tigger's Rant:

Tigger: Okay I know your all expecting a funny omake but I acutally have something important to talk to you all about.

Amy: You can be serious?

Tigger: GO AWAY THIS IS MY RANT!

(Amy leaves)

Tigger: Anyway I've noticed an increasing number of reviews relating to pairings and the plotline. Okay let's clear some things up. This fanfic is based off the manga. However the first few chapters of the manga and the beginning episodes of the anime are similar. Since Amy has only read the first few chapters and seen the first twenty episodes she is aware of some similarities as she first starts off her adventure. However everything else is a complete mystery to her after the Elrics break into Lab 5.

(A giant crash can be heard)

Tigger: Ignore the noises folks. Anyway onto pairings. Romance isn't my main point right now. They'll probably be some later because of all the teenage hormones, but romance is not the main point of this fic. I don't want to focus on making Amy fall head over heels in love with some person who isn't supposed to be real. The main point of this fic is how a normal everyday girl deals with losing everything she has and being stuck in a different world. I want my reviewers to feel this is as realistic as possible. Now there will be some obvious couples I will be supporting such Roy and Riza and Ling and RanFan. Why? Cause they're amazing. But I won't go too much into them.

(The ground shakes)

Tigger: Still ignoring that. As for Amy I don't have any long term plans for her. Obviously a lot of people have noticed that Amy and Al have bonded quite well. I think that's because they have similar personalities. Amy bonds easier with girls then boys, Al being the exception. Don't worry though, Ed and Amy's friendship will become more developed later on. They are slowly bonding. I blame Ed's unturstworthiness, but don't worry they'll be closer soon enough. NOT IN THE ROMANCE WAY FOLKS! AS IN ED WILL ACTUALLY TRUST AMY WITH HIS LIFE WAY! LIKE FRIEND WAY! NOT LOVE! AND DON'T START ROOTING FOR AL YET CAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE!

(A small explosion)

Tigger: I would like to hear your opinions though. On romance, on character development, on people or events you would like to see in the story. So just review or PM to let me know.

(Another crash)

Winry: ED HOW DARE YOU BREAK MY AUTOMAIL!

Ed: IT WASN'T MY FAULT I SWEAR!

Winry: IT'S NEVER YOUR FAULT IS IT?

Ed: TIGGGGGER!

Tigger: And that is my cue to leave. Bye folks!


	42. Life is Full Of Surprises

Tigger: Okay, I love love this chapter. Not because I think it's my best. Not because it's the most well-written thing ever. BUT BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN PLANNING THIS MOMENT FOR MONTHS! AND NOW ITS FINALLY COMING TRUE!

Amy: Why does that worry me?

Tigger: But this moment is so original, so out-there, I AM SO PROUD OF IT!

Ed: I hope people hate it.

Tigger: YOU'RE SO MEAN ED!

Ed: THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR WRITING ABOUT US EVEN THOUGH YOU DO NOT OWN FMA OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

Tigger: I OWN AMY, AUNTIE SENILE, AND THE OTHERS ORIGINAL CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY!

Amy: Maybe we should just thank the reviewers....

Tigger: I SHOULD KILL YOU ED!

Ed: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY!

Amy: Well thank you AliasAurora, YukinoKara, HeeHeeHee01, arden_anam, XxLexiLacerationxX, The Sora-muffin, shanksXbrookfan6, Mooncry, Nut and Shell, the sugar-crazed alchemist, White Wing Alchemist, xWeaselxWolfx, American Senpai, CHAOSwords, pokemonjkl, and Vanessa Rowes for reviewing and favoriting.

Tigger: YAH! (tackles Ed with hammer) EAT HAMMER ED!

(Dust ball of fighting between Ed and Tigger)

Amy: I think I'm just going to begin this chapter then...

* * *

Amy's world spun as her heart beat uncontrollably and she felt light headed. Her breathing was shallow and her limbs felt cooked spaghetti. The first rational thought that went through her hyped on adrenaline system was that she was alive. She was not chopped up into tiny pieces and lying on the ground in a pool of blood. In fact Amy was quite certain that she wasn't even injured. Blinking a few times to clear away the spinning and light-headiness, Amy examined herself. There were no bleeding cuts or missing limbs or any other injury that could be caused by a giant butch knife. So if she hadn't been cut by Barry, then what had happened?

She glanced around. There was no Al or Barry by her. There was no wall or vent that Ed had climbed through. In fact, Amy couldn't see anything. All around her was darkness.

"_Either it's gotten really dark outside or someone shoved me in a giant box."_

Since she couldn't rely on her eyesight, Amy felt around with her hands. She reached her arms out as far as she could in front of her, but Amy's hands felt thin air. Her hands reached to the right and felt nothing there either. When she reached to the left there her hand hit a wall. The wall was cold and stone. Behind Amy there was another wall. An idea began to turn in Amy's head. Quickly she turned towards the wall and ran her fingers along it. Eventually her fingers hit a small crack. The crack ran from the floor, up, to the right, and then down again.

"Al!" Amy hit her fist against the wall, "Al!"

She was beginning to panic. If her assumptions were right then she had pulled a classic Scooby Doo. Amy had gone through a trap door. Actually it was more like a swinging door since it worked similar to revolving door. She must have activated it when she flinched away from Barry.

"Al!" Amy cried again, "Al, can you hear me!"

Amy's heart was beginning to pick up its pace again and her tired limbs found new energy. Somewhere in this building Ed was fighting Number 44. Not only was Ed supposed to get injured badly from that battle but then Lust and Envy would show up. Being a fan part of Amy wanted to see Lust and Envy, but the rational part of her was telling her that she avoid the evil-don't-care-who-or-how-many-they-kill creatures. Then if Amy managed to avoid the evil killer creatures, the building would fall down anyway. Being squished was not something Amy wanted to do!

Amy pressed her head up against the wall. Her ears strained to hear any sound from outside the research institute. Faintly she could hear the sounds of a battle.

"AL!" Amy screeched, "AL! HELP ME!"

She pressed her head up against the wall to listen for a reply.

"Amy, go find brother!"

The voice was faint and rushed. It was followed by a loud clanging sound as if two pieces of metal hit each other. Amy leaned her forehead against the wall. Of course Al didn't know what was going to happen. He didn't know his brother was also in the middle of a battle and faring worse then Al.

"_I can't go look for Ed,"_ Amy thought, "_I'll be killed and all the entrances are sealed. Unless Al makes a doorway for me then I'm stuck."_

Amy sighed. Maybe she could find a window. If it was locked she could throw a chair through it and open it.

"_But what if there boarded shut?"_

"_That's what I have a hammer for! Now let's go find a window!"_

_"Can't we open the door with a hammer too?"_

_"Have you ever opened a rusted door?"  
"No and neither have you."_

_"Shut up and find that window!"_

"I have to stop having conversations with myself," Amy muttered.

Swallowing hard Amy looked into the darkness. Her eyes were starting to adjust but she still couldn't see very well. She could spot the walls next to her, but her vision didn't go beyond a foot or two. Amy glanced behind her. Al had told her to go find Ed, so he wasn't expecting her to stick around and probably wasn't listening for her. The chances he would hear Amy if he wasn't listening for her were slim. It made logical sense for her to go find an exit. Timidly she placed one hand against the wall and took a step forward.

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It had been a few minutes since Amy began to explore the building, or at least Amy thought it was a few minutes. She wasn't really keeping track of the time. All she knew was that she needed to get out and fast. Unfortunately all the windows Amy had passed were bordered up and at least four feet above her head making them unreachable. Why were the windows that high anyway? Her heart was pounding at a rapid pace and each creak of wood made Amy jump a foot in the air. Walking around in the dark alone wasn't fun. Each shadow resembled a person hiding in the dark and Amy couldn't get rid of the feeling that someone would jump out of the dark and grab her.

Amy wouldn't stray from the hallway she was in, afraid of getting lost, but she had passed a few rooms. There was still furniture inside the rooms. It almost looked like everyone had just disappeared and let the place rot. Dust covered every surface and the place a musty smell to it. Rust covered the metallic surfaces and old papers covered the floors. The more Amy explored the more she was reminded of a haunted house at a Halloween fair.

Her heartbeat sounded in her ears and the only other sound was Amy's footsteps shuffling across the stone floor. The quietness began to scare Amy. She wished she could hear the sounds of battle or of other people. It was almost like she was the only person existing in the world at that moment. Amy's heart began to beat faster at that thought. She had to get out of here and she had to do it now! In a desperate attempt to distract herself from her worries Amy decided to sing a song.

"This little light of mine," Amy sung in a small voice, "I'm gonna let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine."

The song echoed off the walls and drove away the silence. It was an especially comforting song to sing in the dark because Amy could imagine there was some light. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark by now but her seeing was still limited. Maybe her mom had been right about reading by flashlight, it really did ruin a person's eyesight.

The hallway Amy had been travelling down reached an end. Amy was standing in a large room that was at least two stories high. In the center of the room was a giant cage, big enough to hold at least fifteen grown men. Surrounding the cage were some tables with abandoned papers littered on them. Instead of a second floor there was platform that went around three-fourths of the edge of the room at the height of where the floor for the second story would be. The platform was also made of stone and wide enough for at least three people. An old wooden railing stood on one edge. It must have been used in the past to keep people from falling off but now it looked rotten and some chunks of the rail were missing. To Amy's left was a small stone staircase that led to the platform. What concerned Amy most was the cage though.

Slowly she walked up to it, careful not to run into anything. The bars looked like they were made of steel or some other very hard metal. There was barely enough room for one to stick there arm between the bars and they were so high that Armstrong would have trouble getting over. Amy's stomach twisted as she recognized what this cage was for. It was to trap people. Not like animals in cages. No animals in cages got pillows and blankets from their loving owners. Nor was it like the jail she had stayed in with beds and a toilet. It was literally four barred walls, a stone floor, and a roof to hold these people in place. There were no beds or blankets or any privacy from the peering eyes of the scientists who could stare from all angles and poke and prod a person through the bars. Pity flooded Amy's heart as she thought about how awful it would have been for the prisoners. People trapped like rats with no way out and no sign of hope. Human experimentation was an awful thing.

Amy's stomach rolled and she decided she had spent enough time in front of the cage. It would do her no good to stand there and pity the deceased. It would not help them. Amy backtracked to the entrance she had come from and began to climb the nearby staircase.

It was dustier on the second floor then it had been on the first and Amy coughed a few times to clear her lungs and throat. Suddenly a large bang caught Amy's attention. She jumped and held back a yelp. Her heart sounded like a drum in her ears and she nearly took off running. After the sound had faded Amy leaned over the rail and looked down at the first floor to see what had caused the commotion. A metal chair was on the ground. Amy almost laughed out loud when she realized what had scared her. The chair was missing one leg. It had probably rusted off and the chair had simply become unbalanced and toppled over.

"I can't believe I got so scared over a chair," Amy chuckled slightly, "It's just a chair. It can't hurt me."

Amy cast another look at the chair. Yes it was completely harmless. It was highly unlikely that it could hurt Amy with its three legs. Wait where was the fourth leg? Shouldn't it be lying nearby?

"But I can," a voice spoke from behind Amy.

It was like her entire body had been plunged into icy-cold water and had frozen. Amy swore her heart even stopped for the painful and terrifying second. As if possessed she slowly turned her head to see who had spoken. A pair of bright red eyes from a suit of armor stared back. The suit was holding the metal leg of the chair, yielding it like a weapon.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"

************************************************************************

Ed's attention was torn away from his opponent for a second as he heard a scream echo through the building. His heart clenched as he recognized the female scream.

"It seems your friend as met our other comrade," Number 44 pointed out.

Ed blocked another blow from the sword with his automail and took a step back. He frowned frustrated. A million thoughts were running through his head but he couldn't act on any of them. Number 44 would not let him leave alive. Ed wiped some blood from the corner of the mouth with the back of his left hand. Damn. This guy was tough. Ed readied himself for another attack.

"_Just hold on Amy,"_ Ed thought as he charged at Number 44.

************************************************************************

Al blocked another blow from Number 66 and delivered a swift punch to the gut. Number 66 fell backwards but was on his feet again in a moment. 66 looked frustrated for a second but then grinned.

"Oh ho ho," 66, "I almost forgot about her."

"Forgot about whom?" Al asked defensively.

"The newest member to this life," 66 laughed, "I'm sure my friend has met your fired by now. Oh man! I can hear those screams from here! Those wonderful screams. Makes me wish I was there."

Al's glare hardened. Some men were just sick. Men like Mr. Tucker and Scar had no appreciation for human life. They were the kind of people that deserved to be locked away forever. His only hope now was that Brother would reach Amy soon. Al may have been a better fighter then Brother but the only way Al could defeat 66 was to render him immobile. Otherwise this fight would go on forever.

************************************************************************

The scream tore from Amy's throat. She screamed and screamed as her tied to comprehend what was happening. The scream made her throat raw and her voice cracked but Amy didn't stop. Her breathing was shallow and rapid while her heart was about to beat out of her chest. Amy's instincts screamed at her to run. To run far away as fast as she could, but her body didn't understand what her brain wanted. Her legs were frozen, unable to move. She couldn't even crawl away. Her opponent flinched at the sound but didn't do anything else otherwise. Finally her legs got the message and Amy managed to duck to one side. Her legs bent oddly but Amy didn't pay them any mind. She began to run.

Her lungs felt on fire and her legs were screaming in pain. Amy's hammer kept thwacking her in the side as she ran but she made it no mind. Her brain only repeated the same message over and over again.

"_Run! Run! Run!"_

The rational side of her had fled and her common sense had become no sense. Only animal instincts seemed to drive her. She could hear heavy loud footsteps gaining on her. Amy reached the end of one wall and she tried to pivot her body in order to turn. She was running too fast though and when she tried to turn her legs didn't follow. Amy fell to the ground. She hit the ground hard and tumbled into the wall. Her hammer slipped out of her hands.

Amy lay on the ground breathing heavily. Pain erupted from her hip, side, and arm that she had landed on. Her head was pounding and the world was spinning. She tried to move but it hurt too much. Tears formed in the corner of her eyes and Amy held back sobs. She had failed. She was going to die. She couldn't do anything right. She couldn't even protect her own life. How did she expect to get home, to have the Elrics' rely on her, if she couldn't even save her own skin? Her opponent stood in front of her now and for the first time Amy was able to see who she was running from.

The helmet was round with an angular face plate that slide up. Horns went down the helmet in two neat lines. The shoulder pads were on the bigger side and covered most of the upper arm. They also had horns sticking out from the sides. The rest of the arm was thin metal except for the elbows, which had small elbow guards with spikes, and the metal gloves. The chest plate was close to the body but decorated with some design that repeated itself. Around the waist there was a regular belt that hung to one side. There were two pieces of metal on the side of each upper leg and the rest of the legs had metal close to the body with some decorated lines running down the side. Any part that would have been exposed had chainmail peaking out. Unlike Al this person did not have two separate eye holes but one long slit around eye level. Two red dots stared down at Amy.

Unlike other villains Amy's opponent didn't seem to be a man of many words. The person stared down at Amy as if they were observing her. Amy froze, she had a feeling that if she moved then her opponent would attack.

"Amy?" the suit of armor asked.

Amy's eyes widened. She recognized that voice.

"Martha?" Amy gasped.


	43. The Value of Life

Tigger: I left everyone hanging, didn't I?

Al: What? You left people hanging?0.0 Out a window? Why would you do that?

Tigger: -_- It's an expression Al. I wrote a cliffhanger.

Al: Oh. That makes sense.

Tigger: You're lucky you're so damn adorable and that you love kitties.

Al: Why?

Tigger: Otherwise I'd hit you with my hammer.

Al: .....( nervous sweat) Thank you for not hitting me with your hammer?

Tigger: You're welcome. Now I shall thank my wonderful reviewers who are anxiously awaiting this chapter. Thanks to AliasAurora, Something Dysfunctional, 13Lulu's, Lizzy lou, YukinoKara, Mooncry, , Wandering Hitokiri, XxLexiLacerationxX, CHAOSwords, Fuurai, DemonAngel, HeeHeeHee01, White Wing Alchemist, the sugar-crazed alchemist, XxWierdchikxX, arden_anam, anon12, SakuraDagger15, Sama-Bama, and XxMichyBabyxX. Holy there was a lot of you!

Al: Doesn't this mean you are getting more popular.

Tigger: I guess that's true. I never expected the story to be so popular....or take so long.

Al: What do you mean?

Tigger: Well this is chapter 43 and Amy's only in Central at Lab 5. Plus there is this some subplot I want to add in about ten chapters not to mention I want to work with character development. All in all this story will probably go at least 200 chapters.

Al: That's a lot.

Tigger: Yeah, I know. Oh well! Let's get this chapter rolling!

Al: But you haven't done the disclaimer yet and denied any ownership of FullMetal Alchemist.

Tigger: WHY ARE YOU ALL AGANIST ME? I CAN PRETEND CAN'T I?

Ed: No.

(Tigger knocks Ed out with hammer)

Tigger: And now we'll start.

* * *

Tigger: Okay I lied. I noticed that some reviewers had trouble remembering Martha from all those chapters ago, so I decided to give a brief description. Martha is one of the people Amy met in prison. She has red eyes, is quiet, and used to be the leader of a gang. Although she appears cold and distrusting she is actually a bit of a softie at heart. It's never officially typed out but Martha will protect anyone she considers a companion. If you met her a coffee shop and had one conversation with her, she would be willing to protect you with her life. That doesn't mean she's overly trusting though, she just values the lives of others. She is also very sharp and has good instincts so good luck lying to her. Now onto the chapter and this time I mean it.

* * *

A silence hung in the air and Amy couldn't help but think of all the times this happened in cliché movies. She half expected someone to say "Luke, I am your father." At home she would have booed this scene, which had been replayed many times in various movies, plays, and stories. It was different now that she was actually in it. It was real. The feelings were real. The surprise was real. Everything was real. Not on a screen or stage or typed words. She felt numb. Her mind played Martha's voice over and over again. This couldn't be. There was no way. The fact that this was so impossible but was happening made her mind boggle. She stared wide-eyed at the suit of armor that was her friend.

"Amy," Martha let go of the chair leg and knelt down, "You're the intruder?"  
Somehow Amy managed to process what Martha was saying and nodded when she figured out that her voice was unable to work. Wait this made no sense. Martha wasn't part of the anime. There had only been Number 66, Number 48, and Number 48's brother. There had been no one else. Martha had only existed as a background person, a person who lived in the Elric's world, but was never shown. The only reason Amy knew about Martha was because she had been put in jail. Amy wasn't supposed to be here either though! How could her friend be a suit of armor? How could someone who had been a person the other day be a suit today? It didn't make sense. How could the body and soul be separate?

Amy had only known Al as suit of armor so she had never put any thought into it. To her it was natural for Al to be a hunk of moving metal. Now Amy was beginning to realize what it must have been like for Ed. How could someone you know become something else? They looked nothing alike but they were the same person. The same person. Amy's mind was teeming on the edge of shock but she tried to keep her thoughts coherent. If Martha was a suit of armor then her soul was attached to the suit. But if Martha's soul was here that meant that….

"Your body? Martha did they take your body?" Amy asked frantically.

They couldn't have. Martha was supposed to be released soon. She was going to join Betty and Cynthia and they were going to run a flower shop together. Martha had been so nice to her. She wasn't a death row prisoner either, so why would they take her body? Why would the homunculus want to use her as a pawn?

"You know more then you let on don't you Amy?" Martha questioned solemnly.

Amy's stomach turned as she realized that she was right. How could they do this? Martha was a nice person. Sure she had been in jail but that was no reason to separate her soul from her body. Swallowing hard, Amy tried to sit up. Marta assisted her and neither of them spoke for a moment. Martha let out a sound which reminded Amy of a sigh. She sat down on the ground next to Amy and leaned her back against the wall. Questions burned on Amy's tongue but se couldn't bring herself to ask them. It would jus confirm what she feared the most. Martha sighed again.

"Hours after Betty and Cynth had been released I was called to an interrogation room," Martha explained, "The soldiers told me they connected my gang to a murder committed four years ago. When my gang was captured three years ago I made sure everyone escaped and I took all the blame. I did it for the people I had trusted and bonded with. But since I never revealed any names any crime pegged to my gang was pegged to me. Thus I was also blamed for this murder."

Amy sat in silence watching Martha. She wanted to say something, anything, but her mouth wouldn't work.

"We didn't commit any murder. We never murdered, but the military thinks otherwise. They told me that I would be executed," Martha continued, "I didn't get to inform Betty or Cynth. I wasn't even returned to my cell. They knocked me out and told no one what had happened to me. People come and go in jail all the time, no one would have noticed if I was gone. When I awoke I was in a place I didn't recognize. This voice from the darkness gave me a choice. Guard this place or die."

Martha looked at her hands and then up at the ceiling. There was a long silence before she spoke again.

"I've worked with other gangs before. I knew there was a catch, but I also knew these people were serious. I might have been willing to take blame for my gang but I wasn't willing to die. Not yet. So I took the deal."

"Did it hurt?" Amy managed to ask.

"The fear was worse then any pain. I'll never forget that moment. The realization that your soul, what makes you you, is being torn form your body," Martha replied, "They took my body somewhere else. I have no idea what they did with it. For all I know everything I used to be could be a rotting corpse in an abandoned lot."

Amy's heart swelled with pity. She couldn't believe what had happened. To Martha to. How could they just decide she was guilty? What about a trial or something? Martha hadn't even stood a chance. They had just taken her body away. Amy's eyes widened as an idea struck her.

"Could it be," she muttered.

Her cogs in her brain began to turn. Didn't Barry tell Al a similar story in the anime? They took souls from perfectly healthy people and then took the bodies away. What if the bodies were still alive? What if they were keeping them? Why else would they steal souls from healthy bodies?

"_Why would they do that?" _the voice in her head asked.

"Martha, do you remember anything about what they did to your body?"

"I woke up and someone was taking it away."

Why would they take the body away? Why not just destroy it? Envy was a homicidal manic and Gluttony loved to eat people dead or alive. There was no reason for someone to remove the body from the room.

"Martha, what if your body is still out there? What if they've been keeping it for something? Maybe we can reattach you. We could get your body back no problem. Your situation is good. You could still have a body to return to!"

Martha studied Amy.

"Just how much are you hiding kid?" she questioned.

The look on Martha's face was one of knowing yet confusion. As if Martha was solving a puzzle and knew the answer but had no idea how to get there. Amy froze up. What could she tell Martha? Could she trust Martha? Martha had told her everything about what had happened to her and she couldn't tell Martha why she in the research lab. It couldn't hurt though to tell Martha little of the truth. Martha trusted her so Amy should trust Martha, right?

"I..I," Amy stumbled over her words uncertainly, "I have a friend whose body is like yours except he doesn't have a body to return to. We, him, his brother, and I, are here looking for the Philosopher's Stone. It's the only way to get him his body back."

"The Philosopher's Stone? I've heard that term before. The man in the darkness mentioned it."

"How much do you know? Could you tell me? Please we need that information!" Amy begged feeling anxious.

If Martha could tell them everything she knew about the Philosopher's stone then maybe they could get closer to figuring out how to make one without human sacrifices. She could be such a big help. Amy could go home! Al could get his body back! Ed would get his limbs back! They needed this information. No matter how small the amount of information was, they could use it.

A loud bang sounded though the building. Amy jumped and fell to one side. She winced as she hit her previous injuries. Martha meanwhile was up on her feet and was searching their surroundings.

"A gun shot," Martha noted, "It came from outside."

Amy didn't reply. Her injuries were starting to bother her. Her arm was throbbing painfully and her head began pounding again.

"Ur," Amy grabbed her head.

She was forgetting something. Something that was important. But her head hurt so much! Her brain felt like it was being hit over and over again with a hammer. It felt like it was going to explode! Explode…wait!

"The building!" Amy yelped, "The building is going to come down we need to escape out a window or something!"

"What? The building?" Martha repeated.

"It's going to collapse," Amy spoke quickly and frantically trying to get her message out as fast as possible, "It will squish us! The whole thing will come down on us!"

She swung her head around looking for a way out. Any way out! There about fifteen feet to her left was a window. Ignoring the painful signals her body was sending out Amy propped herself up. She used the wall to support her and began to hobble over to the window. Along the way she stopped to grab her hammer.

"Come on," she called to Martha, "We can go out the window. It's our only chance. I don't know how long we…"

The entire building let out a giant creak and Amy felt her heart stop for a moment as she gazed up at the ceiling in horror. The sound of something cracking could be heard and the entire building groaned. The ceiling became closer to the ground and then there was a boom. Air rushed towards Amy and pushed her against the wall. Everything seemed to expand. Dust flew into the air. Tables turned over. Chairs tumbled across the room and then the ceiling gave away. All of this happened in less then a second. One moment the ceiling stood six feet above Amy's head and the next thing she knew it had split apart and was falling towards her. It was too fast. Amy couldn't even panic. Her brain was trying to comprehend what was happening while figuring out what to do next and it wasn't working. Her head was spinning as a piece of stone headed straight towards her head. Her breathing seemed to be strangled in her throat and her limbs locked in place. She began to shake and a small squeak left her throat.

Something hard slammed into her side. The air was knocked out of her lungs as she flew out of the way. Her other side hit something hard and Amy's knees gave way. She fell to the ground gasping for breath and then quickly closed her eyes and put her hands protectively over her head. Her heart was beating wildly and all she could think about was the building coming down around her. Breathing was difficult as Amy felt pressure from all sides. Had she been boxed in? She had to escape, but how! The ceiling! The floor! Amy was hit hard and her head hit the floor. Everything spun and something warm dripped down her face. It felt like the floor was moving. It was sliding away from her. Her eyes felt heavy and she felt as if she was on a roller coaster. She felt like she was in a cart taking sharp turns, being thrown from one side to another and then dropping down a steep hill suddenly. Her stomach churned as gravity pulled her down. Then she felt a stabbing sensation all over her body. She cried out in pain as something in her twisted the wrong way. Her body was sent hurtling and she tumbled across the ground just to collapse in a bloody, painful, lump.

Her hearing, which seemed to have stopped working the moment the building came down, came rushing back. She could hear screams and the sound of hundreds of stones falling to the ground. Everything throbbed, all of nerves screamed in agony, and the warm liquid was beginning to create a small puddle. Her body trembled which just caused Amy more pain.

************************************************************************

"Is this her?" Envy asked Lust.

He looked at the creature by his feet in disgust. How could something this weak be causing any problems? This thing couldn't even be considered a threat. Hell it was bleeding to death right now. He couldn't even tell what color her skin was on some parts of her because of the large bruises. Small pieces of rock stuck to her skin and hair and she looked like a mess.

"Yes, I wonder how she got out of the building." Lust looked thoughtful as she gazed at the building that was quickly turning into rubble.

"Can't we just let her die?" Envy complained, "I already saved one life today."

"No, Wrath said she could be useful. There is something odd about her. Why else would she travel out here with Elric brothers?"

Envy brushed some of the hair out of his face revealing a pissed off look. He did not like saving humans.

"She'll probably die before they find her anyway," Envy pointed out, "They already left to take their precious FullMetal shrimp to a hospital."

"No one of the guards is still here," Lust told him, "He's trying to gather emergency crews to help clear the building. They still think she's inside."

"How'd she get so far away anyway? She shouldn't be able to move with those injuries," Envy smirked.

Envy was tempted to poke the human and find out what made it do the impossible. What made it go against its nature? It should have just curled up into a ball and hoped for the best when the building came down. That's what the weaklings do.

"Humans are stubborn creatures," was all Lust said.

"Fine I'll dumb her near the front of the building. Stick her under a rock or something," Envy muttered.

"Make sure she stays alive," Lust ordered, "Father will not be happy if she doesn't make it."

"Yeah yeah," Envy sighed as he lifted the body, "Don't kill her got it."

"I shall go inform Father and the others," Lust said and disappeared out of sight.

Envy muttered some colorful words and shifted the body. Great now he had blood on him. Stupid pain in the ass human. He raced over to the front of the building and looked around. There! Two rocks were propped up against one another so that there was some space in-between. He shoved the human in the space and glanced at the gates. The guard from before was outside the gate waiting for the back-up. Envy sighed annoyed. Stupid human. Now he would have to get his attention.

Envy sighed as he felt the familiar sensation of his face being rearranged. His hair shortened, his nose grew smaller, his eyes changed color, and the shape of his morphed. Envy cracked his new jaw and cleared his throat.

"Someone help me," he imitated the girl's voice, "I'm stuck! Please help me!"

The guard by the gate immediately jumped up and Envy smiled at the stupidity of the man. Humans were so easy to manipulate. Quickly he changed back to his 'cuter' form and disappeared into the shadows. The guard had found the girl and was calling for help. It looked like Envy's work here was done. He would go inform the others now.

* * *

Al: Did you just leave them with another cliffhanger?

Tigger: I think I did. Okay time to pack.

Al:? Are you going somewhere?

Tigger: My bunker until this passes over. I'm pretty sure my reviewers won't be too happy with so many cliffhangers.

Al: Oh

Tigger: (Picks up a suitcase and puts on a hat) Well this is good-bye until then. Take care of the place and Ed okay? Make sure Winry beats him with hr wrench when he deserves it.

Al: -_- That's not what most people say when they are leaving...

Tigger: Good-bye Al! I shall miss you!

(Walks off into sunset)


	44. A Nasty Wake Up Call

Tigger: And here I am!

Ed: And why is that so great?

Tigger: Cause this chapter doesn't end in a cliffhanger I swear?

Ed: And I care why.

Tigger: Uh....actually I don't know why you're here.

Ed: WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?

Tigger: Well I know why you exist. You see when a mommy and a daddy love each other very much

Ed: THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT

Tigger: You shout alot. Well you're not in this chapter, so uhhh you can go to the break room.

Amy: We have a break room?

Tigger: Duh. Only you can't go because I highly doubt there will ever be a chapter without you.

Amy: That's not fair.

Tigger: Fair is a place where pigs when ribbons. Anyway time to thank the reviewers. Thanks XxMichyBabyxX, The Sora-muffin, the sugar-crazed alchemist, Nut and Shell, CodyGotKilld, White Wing Alchemist, Zilo Sugarpill, AliasAurora, Mooncry, , Wandering Hitokiri, xWeaselxWolfx, YukinoKara, BlueWolves95, cranberryben, kisshu-gaaralover, Alessia Riddle, alexthegreat123, Chrimson fox, Norman The Cat, XxLexiLacerationxX, reviewer45, and RainAlchemist201.

Ed: Why did no one tell me about this break room?

Tigger: And the chapter shall commence!

Ed: HEY!

Amy felt exhausted. She felt beyond exhausted. She felt like she had gotten hit by a monster truck which then felt the need to run her over multiple times. All of her limbs ached and there was a strange burning in her chest. When her arm twitched Amy had to stop herself from yelping in pain. Okay she had definitely done something to that one. But what had she done? Amy couldn't recall. For a moment she sat there trying to recall what she had done before she went to sleep last night. Maybe she had slept on her arm wrong or something.

Wait there was something wrong with that. Amy wasn't at home. She knew that. But why was she not at home? Was she at camp? At a friend's house? No. No. None of that was right. Frick! She was in another dimension! She was in FMA! Ed, Al, and her had snuck into the fifth research institute. Amy had run into Martha and then the building had collapsed!

What had happened to her? What time was it? Was she still stuck in the building? What about Martha? Had Ed and Al escaped? How long had it been? Just what condition was she in?

"_Remain calm," _Amy instructed herself, "_Open your eyes and examine your condition before deciding what to do next."_

Slowly Amy tried to open her eyes but there was keeping her eyes shut. Using her good arm Amy tried to figure out what was binding her eyes. Wait was that a sheet she just brushed up against? Her hand felt around her face.

"Oh you're awake," a voice commented.

Amy jumped. Who the heck was that? She hadn't heard anyone. Then again she was much too focused on her eyesight then listening for other people.

"Where?" Amy croaked.

She stopped talking immediately and grabbed her own throat. It was so dry that it actually hurt her to talk. She attempted to clear it a few times in order to speak but failed miserably.

"Oh dear you must be thirsty," the voice spoke, "Give me a moment, dear."

The voice was definitely feminine and, by the lack of slang and sound, it seemed to be an older woman. Amy heard footsteps walk away and a door open and close. This meant she must have been in a building. But where? She couldn't hear anyone else so she must have been alone in the room. But what did that mean? Who had brought her here? Where was here? She wished someone would give her some answers. The last thing she could remember was pain. Lots and lots of pain. And then there had been nothing.

"You know you're rather lucky," the woman reentered the room, "An entire building collapsed on you, but here you are alive and well. You don't even have a broken bone."

The woman approached Amy.

"Hold out your hand dearie," she instructed Amy.

Amy held her hand out towards the source of the noise. She felt rather foolish. She didn't like having her eyesight taken away. It made her feel sort of helpless. In fact she was surprised she wasn't panicking, but Amy figured that had to do with her injuries. They must have drugged her to deal with the pain. A hand gripped Amy's and she jumped slightly. A cup was placed in her hand and then was guided towards her mouth. Hesitantly, Amy took a sip. The cool liquid was welcome in her dry throat.

"That's it dearie. Now drink up," the woman told her, "You're going to need plenty of rest to get rid of those injuries."

"I thought," Amy cleared her throat, "I thought you said nothing was broken."

"No, no, nothing broken," the lady assured her, "But you have some pretty bad sprains, a couple of bruised ribs, and well dear you've become a chameleon."

"Chameleon?" Amy repeated.

"You have so many bruises dearie. You're all black and blue and tomorrow you'll be green and yellow."

Amy felt that that last comment had been unnecessary.

"Is that why you covered my eyes?" Amy asked.

"Oh no no no," the lady laughed although Amy wasn't sure what was so funny, "There's a giant cut right above your eyes. We're just protecting it from infection. It is rather shallow though so they'll be removed in the morning."

"Morning?"

"Oh yes its two in the morning right now. I'm surprised you're awake. Your friend is still asleep."

"Ed? Is Ed okay? What happened?"  
"Your friend had a rather deep abdominal cut. He lost a lot of blood. He's fine now though, just resting. His brother is by his side."

Amy mentally let out a sigh of relief. That meant they were both okay. But what about Martha? Was Martha okay? But no one knew about Martha. Amy wasn't even supposed to know about Martha.

"I'm guessing this is a hospital," Amy spoke.

She felt weird. Almost as if she was half-asleep. Normally Amy would have been too shy to utter a peep. Plus the fact that she couldn't see should have given her a heart attack by now. Instead Amy felt nothing. Her emotions only seemed to be capable of worry for her friends. She was not the least bit concerned with her own injuries.

"_These have to be some wacky drugs they gave me."_

"Yes this is the hospital of an acquaintance of Second Lieutenant Ross and I'm one of the night nurses here. You may call me Mrs. Jane," the woman introduced herself.

"Mrs. Jane?" Amy repeated the name sounding kind of odd to her.

"Yes, that is my name," Mrs. Jane said coolly, "Now tell me dear, how do you feel? Any pain? Burning? Bleeding?"

"No, I feel fine," Amy admitted, "A little funky but fine."

"Funky?"

"A word where I come from," Amy said without thinking.

"But aren't you from here?"

"My parents aren't," Amy still had enough common sense not to mention she was from another world.

"Can you tell me more about the accident?" Mrs. Jane continued her interrogation.

"I don't remember much of it," Amy confessed, "I had my eyes closed when the building began to fall and I kept them close."

Amy was beginning to feel tired. Her body felt worn out and her brain was functioning at minimum level. If her eyes had been open they would have been drooping by now.

"Okay well if that's all dear I have other patients to take care of," Amy heard Mrs. Jane move around.

Wait! She couldn't leave yet! Martha! Amy's brain still remembered her. Had they found her? Was she okay?

"Did they find anyone else in the accident?" Amy asked.

"No dear, no they did not," Mrs. Jane answered.

Amy thought the woman might have continued talking but she could never be sure, for at that second she became limp. Her head hit the pillow and she became immune to the world.

************************************************************************

A few hours later a night nurse would walk by the room. She would notice with some curiosity that a door to a patient's room was open. The nurse would peak inside to see the sleeping patient with a plastic cup in her hand. When the nurse picked up the cup she noticed there was some sort of strange liquid in it. Promptly she threw the cup out figuring someone was playing some sort of practical joke on her. If the nurse had taken a look at her patient she probably would have noticed that someone had given the girl unregistered medicine.

A few days later a janitor was cleaning that same room. While sweeping under the bed he discovered a long thin green hair. This made him wonder what kind of patients they kept in this hospital. Before he could dwell on it further a nurse came in to inform him that a patient had thrown up. The man tossed the hair and never thought about it again.

************************************************************************

"Hello there Sunshine," a voice yelled.

Amy woke up at the sound of the loud screech. She fumbled about, hit something, and then fell onto the floor.

"Ow," Amy muttered.

Great now she had a sore butt too. If it was possible she felt even worse then the last time she woke up, but that might have something to do with her fall. Her muscles ached and protested every time she moved and Amy could feel the bruises on her skin. Not to mention her brain felt a bit foggy. It reminded her of the time they had given her laughing gas at the dentist so he could pull her teeth out. Amy remembered freaking out and trying to run away but her body wouldn't receive any of the signals from her brain. She had rally hated the dentist after that incident.

"Time to take those bandages off," the voice announced happily.

Before Amy could make a peep, she was whisked to her feet. She stood unsteadily on her legs and held her arms out for balance. Someone grabbed the bandages around Amy's eyes and gave a hard tug. Amy spun like a top, tripped over her own feet, and fell onto the bed. The room swayed and Amy's stomach churned as she lay face down on the bed. Sharp pains shot up her side and Amy winced. She closed her eyes tightly waiting until she no longer felt like she was on a swaying boat. Eventually the swaying stopped and Amy opened her eyes.

Immediately she was forced to close them as the light shined in her eyes. She blinked a few times and squinted. The room she was in was white. There were a few fluorescent lights hanging from the ceiling and a small window facing outside. Her bed was placed with its headboard against one wall and there was a small side table next to it. To her left was a door that led outside. The other wall had a door which Amy guessed led to some sort of bathroom and the final wall contained the window. In the corner by the window there was a chair, upon which sat Amy's nurse.

The nurse was dressed in a standard white dress with a white cap on her head. She was sitting in the chair watching Amy with a big smile on her face. Something seemed off to Amy though. The woman had brown hair in a bun with a few strands falling out. It was then that Amy noticed that one of those strands was a bright pink. Now she only met one person with brown and pink hair. This same person was also very hyper and seemed like the type to dress up as nurse and spin her patients for fun. But why would that person be here? In her hospital room? In a nurse's outfit?

"Cynthia?" Amy asked wishing that she was drawing the wrong conclusion.

Cynthia's smile slid off her face. Before Amy could blink Cynthia was standing at the edge of her bed with a desperate look on her face.

"You only know that's it me cause you're smart, right?" Cynthia pleaded, "Otherwise you wouldn't have been able to tell. Or maybe you have a talent for this thing, right? I'm not that obvious, right? Betty was wrong. I hid myself well, right? I did a good job, right? Please? Please? Please?"

As Cynthia spoke she seemed to speak faster and had come up to Amy and grabbed her hands. Amy had jumped up but hadn't said anything as Cynthia gave her puppy eyes. Her costume was kind of obvious. Cynthia didn't even bother to hide her facial features or tuck her hair away properly. What really gave it away was her manner though. Amy had never met a nurse that acted like Cynthia did. Then again Cynthia was begging her to say she had a good disguise. It couldn't hurt to tell her that her costume was good. Saying it was bad would be like kicking a puppy. No one in their right mind would kick a harmless cute puppy.

"It's a very good disguise," Amy tried to sound truthful, "I only knew it was you because I recognized your voice."

Lies but Cynthia either didn't realize or pretended not to realize. Instead she grinned and jumped backwards.

"I know, right?" Cynthia said, "Look isn't this so cute? I love this outfit! I might just keep it. I make a great nurse. I gave two people shots today and everything."

Amy flinched (which was a rather painful/bad decision on her part), Cynthia was reminded her of a preppy teenage girl from her world. Amy could never understand why they added so many likes into their sentences or regarded fashion so highly. It was one of those mysteries of life. What worried Amy more then Cynthia's speech was that it sounded like Cynth had stolen her outfit from another nurse and then pretended to be that nurse. Wasn't that illegal? On more then one level? What had Cynth done with that other nurse anyway? How did Cynthia even know she was here? Amy felt nervous as more thoughts ran through her head. She even imagined Cynth stuffing a poor helpless nurse in a locker and then skipping away.

"_Not helping,"_ she told herself.

Her thinking still felt a bit slow and it hurt to move any part of her body. Amy glanced down to notice the nurse from last night was right. She was covered with bruises some of which were still a deep purple while the smaller ones were a bit green. Amy felt a bit queasy thinking about it. Weren't bruises technically internal bleeding? Amy fought the urge to check her stomach for bruises and make sure none of her organs were leaking. Instead she felt above her eye. There was a long cut above her right eye that had scabbed over. It seemed to stretch from right above her nose to halfway between her the end of her eyebrow and her ear.

"Oh you poor thing! I forgot all about helping you! I'm sorry!" Cynthia cried then she hugged Amy tightly, "I'm a bad big sister! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Ga," Amy tried to protest except her lungs were being squeezed too tightly, "Cy. Cy."

"I forgot Betty has something for you," Cynthia's attention span expired as she focused on something else.

Cynthia released Amy and began to check her pockets. Amy took some deep breaths trying to get air back into her lungs. If these adventures with Ed and Al didn't kill her then Cynthia or Auntie Senile probably would.

"Found it!" Cynthia announced pulling a bottle seemingly out of nowhere.

Amy blinked as she gazed at the tiny blue bottle.

"Betty is an amazing gardener. She knows all the conditions the flowers needs and she can make some herbal medicine that works really well. I was told to bring them to you," Cynth rattled off, "This blue one if for cuts. This red one is for energy and I'm not entirely sure what the green one is for."

As she spoke Cynthia pulled out two more bottles. She then placed them all on the table next to Amy's bed.

"But how did you know I was here?" Amy asked curiously.

"An old friend of ours came to visit. She got a new makeover, looks so different, but her attitude is still the same. She really needs to do something useful with her life," Cynthia winked at Amy, "Well I'm going to go get you some munchies. Take your medicine little sister."

Then Cynthia skipped out the door leaving a bewildered hung-over-from-drugs Amy and three medicine bottles.

What did Cynthia mean an old friend? It was obvious by the wink that she was referring to someone Amy should know. But who? She hadn't met anyone else in jail and as far as Amy knew, Cynthia knew nothing about Amy's companions from this world. Cynthia probably didn't even know she was an officer. Then again one could never tell with Cynthia she was one of those people who seemed to be constantly living in a blonde moment. The only other person they both knew was Martha but the nurse from last night had told her that no one had been found in the ruins. Amy felt like a weight had been placed on her chest. She and Martha weren't the closest but it was hard to believe she had been…wait if Amy survived a building falling on her then shouldn't a suit of armor be in better shape? Surely if Amy could make it out a love so could Martha. Besides the only way to kill Martha was by getting rid of the alchemy circle in her suit so she could have been squished, and as long as the circle was undamaged, she could still be alive.

Amy's heart beat faster. That had to be it! That explained the wink and the old friend reference! Plus the "something useful with her life" line was from an argument the two had had when Amy was in jail! That was it! Martha was still alive! She had to be! She must have escaped when the building was collapsing. Of course that way the Homunculi would think she was dead and leave her alone! Amy felt better hearing that news. It was always nice to find out someone you know didn't die.

Martha must have gone to find Cynthia and Betty. They were her friends after all and she could trust them. Plus Cynthia and Betty could move around with less suspicion then a suit of armor. She had probably sent Cynthia here to check on Amy. Now everything was making sense. What about Ed and Al though? Were they okay? They had to be they were the main characters right? Main characters don't just die.

"_This isn't a story anymore,"_ a voice in Amy's head reminded her.

Amy ignored the voice and glanced at the medicine besides her. If she wanted to see how Ed was doing she would need to be able to move around. She picked up the blue bottle and inspected it. On the bottom there were instructions on how to take the medicine, it was the same with the other two bottles. The blue one was a paste which she applied to her cut. The red one was taken orally and the green was to be used in case of emergencies and then she was supposed to drop it on the floor. When Amy read this she freaked out slightly and then quickly stuffed the bottle in the table's drawer. Maybe Cynthia wasn't the only dangerous one.

* * *

Amy: Where did Ed wander off to?

Tigger: To find the break room and thus an excape from me.

Amy: Does the break room really exist?

Tigger: Not for Ed it doesn't. You need an entry key.

Amy: Ah. Poor Ed.

Tigger: Pssh. Ed will figure it out eventually. He's supposedly smart.

Amy: -_- You're not very nice, are you?

Tigger: I am so. Anyway I wanted to apologize to some of my reviewers.

Amy: Why?

Tigger: Well I didn't reply to all the reviews sent to me and I usually do.

Amy: I'm sure they'll understand.

Tigger: IT WAS JUST THAT THERE WAS SO MUCH STUFF AND STRESS AND A NEED TO CRUSH IN A COUPLE SKULLS OF A COUPLE IDOITS! AND AGH! I'M SORRY!

Amy: Oh boy. Wait right here Tigger.

(Amy runs off and Tigger continues to rant. Amy then comes rushing back in and hands Tigger something)

Tigger: AND....(Hugs Al plushie given to her)

Amy: See ultimate destresser.

Tigger: It is! Al is just so huggable!

(Amy and Tigger look at the Al plushie)

Tigger: Let's go hug the real Al.

Amy: Ok.

(The two run off)


	45. Troublesome Visitors

Tigger: Okay folks let's do something a little out of the ordinary today.

Amy: We're ordinary.

Tigger: .......that's a good point

Amy: So what's the plan?

Tigger: First off to thank our reviewers 13Lulu's, AliasAurora, Romani-chan, Mooncry, arden_anam, Dontmezwitme, Nut and Shell, YukinoKara, HeeHeeHee01, Wandering Hitokiri, the sugar-crazed alchemist, AmyElric4ever, xWeaselxWolfx, TinybutMighty, kitsune light, and steel-alchemist.

Amy: I see some new names.

Tigger: Yeah but where did the others go?

Amy: (Shrugs shoulders)

Tigger: Anyway if you haven't noticed this is the 45 chapter and I just noticed the other day that this story is over a year old. So I thought since the 50th chapter is so soon, I have almost 600 reviews, and this story is year old we should have a giant party!

(crickets)

Tigger: DAMN IT WE'RE HAVING A PARTY WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! And for said party I'm going to organize a contest which i will talk about in the omake.

Ed: I vote not.

Tigger: No one takes you seriously Ed so who cares?

Ed: Then why are you writing a fanfic about me?

Tigger: Stupid its about a fic about a world you just happen to be in.

Ed: HEY! I'M THE MAIN CHARACTER!

Tigger: Yes but Winry and Al are so much cooler then you!

Ed: What?!

Tigger: The truth hurts munchkin!

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE IS BEING COMPARED TO FICTIONAL CHARACTERS FROM THE FIRST COLOR MOVIE?

Tigger: YOU!

Amy: I'm just going to start this chapter.

* * *

"Second Lieutenant Ross and Sergeant Brosh reporting in," Ross announced as the two entered the room.

Both of them were dressed in their uniforms and Amy noticed slight circle under their eyes. Both of them were standing straight up and looked very professional. Amy felt a bit embarrassed as she was sitting in a hospital bed wearing some loose blue sweats and a t-shirt. Ranking wise, Amy was technically above both Brosh and Ross but she felt lower then them at this moment. They seemed to walk with a purpose and with authority while Amy calmed up whenever meeting new people. The familiar sensation of something flying around in her stomach came back as an awkward silence fell upon the group. Finally Brosh spoke up.

"How are you feeling?" Brosh asked.

"Not very good," Amy answered truthfully. She really didn't know how to explain it but it was almost like she had got in a fight was Cinderblock from the Teen Titans. It was like something big heavy and solid had just punched her until it could punch no more.

"I'm sorry we did not find you earlier," Brosh apologized looking sheepish, "The doctors said you were lucky to still be alive. If it had been a moment longer you probably would have internally bleed to death."

Amy paled when she heard that news. She was rather thankful that she had been unconscious for most of this.

"A few of your ribs are bruised. A few muscles strained and of course the bruises and the internal bleeding, but you should be fine," Brosh offered a watery smile.

Amy had taken quite a beating. She could now understand why they had drugged her so much. If they had filled her to the brim with pain medication and she could still feel pain then her injuries were quite severe.

"None of this would have happened if you had listened to us," Ross barked.

Amy jumped. It seemed as if Rosh had been stewing the entire time Brosh had talked and was now ready to blow. Rosh's fists were clenched and her face looked angry.

"Our job was to guard you! How could you just run out like that? It was your first day too! Don't you have any common sense?" she scolded Amy, "You almost died because you couldn't wait for a few measly hours! Why did you follow the Elric brothers? Teenage boys are stupid but I expected much more from a new member! Especially you!"

Brosh seemed unable to react. Part of him looked like he wanted to side with Rosh while the other half wanted seemed to feel guilty.

"Major Armstrong told you to stay at the inn because it was dangerous! He asked you to wait! Yet you obeyed a direct order from a superior! If Sergeant Brosh had not found you, you would be dead!"

Amy felt hot and guilty. She knew what she had done was wrong but she had done it for her family. Instead she had found her friend had been turned into a suit of armor and the building had collapsed. She knew it was stupid. But it was for a good reason! She had just wanted to go home! She had risked so much and yet she was left with nothing! Amy found it hard to swallow and tears pricked her eyes. This was hard enough already but Amy hated being reprimanded by adults it always made her feel like the lowest life form on Earth. She wanted to crawl into a hole and never come out. A sob escaped Amy's throat and she her eyes felt hot as she tried to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry," she managed to choke out trying her best not to cry.

This was so stupid and embarrassing and now Amy felt ten times worse then before. She just wanted to go home and be hugged by her mom. Was that so much to ask for? In her world she was still a child. She could still run around, play games, and cry to her parents. But here, here she was a grown-up. There was no time for games or fun and no one to run to when things got bad. No one to hold her or help solve her problems. She was an adult and she had to act like one. Amy sniffed a few times and stared at her bedspread willing herself to keep the tears back.

"You are still a child," Ross 's voice was still stern but she was no longer scolding Amy, "Can't you learn to depend on us adults more?"

The tone Ross used sounded familiar. It was comforting, protective, caring, and a little weary as if she was explaining something to a small child. Amy had heard a similar tone many times before usually when her parents were explaining something to her sisters.

Amy blinked for a second and looked up. Instead of seeing two military officers she saw her mom and dad. The two of them were standing there in the doorway. They looked a little exasperated but smiled at Amy as she gaped at them. A flood of emotions hit Amy. Her heart was soaring while her mind was reeling. She felt escalated. Happy. Joyous. Her parents! Her parents! Her mom and dad! She had missed them! Craved them. Had held onto memories of them with all her might. But now they were here! Her parents were here with her! Her body felt light as happiness seemed to pump through her veins. Everything would be alright now! Her parents would make sure of that. Amy's eyes felt wet as a few tears of joy tried to slip down her face. Amy closed her eyes to rub some of wetness away. When she opened them again the image of her parents was gone.

Tears poured down Amy's face as her heart dropped into her stomach. Her ribs hurt from the sobs but Amy couldn't stop. Why? Why was fate being so cruel to her? Couldn't it have let her live her delusion a few moments longer? Why? Why? Her nose was running but Amy didn't care. She was more injured then she had ever been, she had almost been killed, she had thought her friend had died, and she was stuck in a different world! Nothing could stop her crying. They were tears formed from the grief, terror, and loneliness in her heart. She just wanted to cry until she ran out of tears and then cry some more.

"No, no don't cry," Brosh looked frantic as his younger but higher-ranked co-worker was having a crying fit.

"We didn't mean to be too tough," Ross said looking guilty.

"I'm…I'm never going to see them again," Amy sobbed holding her face in her hands.

It was true. She would never see them again. She was stuck here. Amy would never get home. She would never see her sisters or mom and dad again. Her world didn't exist here so neither did Amy's family.

"Who FullMetal and his brother? They're fine," Brosh explained, "You can see FullMetal as soon as he wakes up. It's going to be okay. You all made it out alive."

Amy sobbed harder. Why? Why was she here? Ed was fictional! As in not real! But then why? Why was this all so real?

"Hey Am-Am! I brought some munchies and a gift!" Cynthia declared as she burst in the door.

There was a silence and Amy heard Cynthia place the tray on the table. Then Amy was embraced in a hug. This one wasn't painful like the last one, but a gentle hug. A comforting hug. Amy was faced into Cynthia's shoulder and her tears stained the white fabric.

"Sssh," Cynthia told her, "Sssh. It'll be alright. We're here to help. You're our friend. We're here to help. It'll be alright."

There was a sharp prick in Amy's shoulder but she was too upset to react. Her tears were still flowing fast but Amy's sobs became quieter as she tried to hear Cynthia's comforting words. A sleepy sensation hit Amy. Her eyelids began to droop and she heard someone yelling but it all faded away. Her heavy heart weighed deeply in her chest as she closed her eyes with a tear still rolling down her cheek.

************************************************************************

"You, you just drugged her!" one of the officer's pointed out.

Cynthia didn't say anything. She just put laid Amy's body on the bed. She made sure Amy was tucked in and wiped her face off. Amy's face was still a bit red and the tear marks were visible but Amy looked a bit more peaceful sleeping. Cynthia ignored the two officers that were yelling at her and disposed of the needle she had used.

"You can't do that! This is military personnel!" the man was yelling at her.

"No," Cynthia replied firmly, "This is a broken child. One who has nothing but herself. If sleep is her only escape let her sleep."

"What is your relationship to Scout Kishi?" the woman demanded.

"She is our friend," Cynthia answered and then began towards the exit.

The man looked like he was going to object but then he cast a look at Amy and swallowed his tongue. Cynthia opened the door and paused.

"Make sure she eats her meal," Cynthia instructed them, "And give her this. Someone found it at the collapse."

Cynthia tossed a slightly beaten and torn orange cap at the two soldiers and then left. As soon as she closed the door behind her she ran down the hallway and opened a window at the end. She jumped through and landed on the ground with her knees slightly bent.

"_I have to go inform Betty and Martha,"_ she realized as she straightened up.

The rush of adrenaline did little to Cynthia as she stared up at the window she had jumped out of. The picture inside Amy's hat was still stuck in her head. A happier time when a broken child hadn't been broken.

************************************************************************

Amy was sitting on the ground. She wasn't entirely sure how she had gotten there or what she was doing here, but it didn't bother her. All around her was a bright yellow with some streaks of white here and there. There was no way to tell what the size of the room or the shape. Amy only knew where the floor was because she was sitting on it, or at least she assumed it was the floor that she was sitting on. Somewhere in her mind Amy realized this made no sense, but that didn't seem to matter. She was accepting of things right now. Everything made sense. Just like how people couldn't tell dreams from reality because in dreams everything made sense until you woke up.

"_Dream?"_

Hey maybe she was in a dream! That would make sense. Wouldn't it? It seemed to. But if this was a dream, should she be able to wake herself up. She had to pinch herself right? Amy lifted her arm about to pinch herself but her arm seemed to go right through her.

"What?" Amy asked dumbfounded.

Before Amy could question the event a mirror appeared in front of her. Amy blinked. This place seemed off. Wasn't a person solid in dreams? But this couldn't be the real world, could it? She rubbed her temples trying to figure this out. Amy couldn't remember anyplace outside of this yellow room. But there had to be more out there right? It didn't make sense for only this place to exist. She was sure that there were other people, places, and things out there.

Amy glanced at the mirror. Maybe it had some answers. That made about as much sense as anything else in this place. She stood up and walked in front of it. The mirror seemed to be growing out of the ground and had no frame. It was about as tall as Amy and a little bit wider. Amy's reflection stared back as she gazed intently at the mirror. The person in the mirror had the same hair, the same face, and the same hospital clothes. When Amy moved, it moved. When Amy made a face, it made one too. Amy raised her hand to wave at herself. Her other self waved back, but then stopped. It seemed to double over in pain. Bruises appeared all over its body and blood dripped down its face.

"Hey!" Amy called to it, "Hey are you alright?"

Something was off. Amy could feel it. The pleasant accepting feeling from before was disappearing. What was going on? Help! This person needed help! Amy reached out to grab the girl. Her fingers collided with the mirror and everything spun. The next thing Amy knew she was the one doubled over with bruises and a bleeding face.

"What?" she asked touching the warm liquid on her face, "How? I'm...I'm bleeding! Hey! Someone help me! Help!"

Amy looked up at the mirror. Her reflection had changed. It wasn't bleeding or hurt like Amy. Instead it seemed perfectly healthy, but the appearance was different from Amy's. The reflection had slightly longer hair, like when Amy forgot to cut hers for a while; it was also very pale, as if it hadn't seen the sun in a while; and it was wearing a pair of long green shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt. It didn't seem happy though. It looked surprised. Then it spotted Amy.

"Help me!" it pleaded, "Help me! Please I'm stuck! I don't want to be here! Please!"

Amy didn't know how to react. She sat there numb. Her head was spinning. Suddenly the room seemed to grow fainter. The reflection became more frantic.

"We don't have much time!" it yelled, "Help me please! I can't stay here forever! It will do more harm then good! It's against the laws of nature! Get me out of here!"

The room seemed to become fainter and fainter. The color going from yellow to white and the mirror seemed to be fading away. The reflection was pale now and hard to see, but the voice was just as strong.

"Please!" it cried, "Please don't make me suffer anymore!

Then she was gone.

************************************************************************

Amy's eyes flew open and she gasped. The fear was still fresh in her mind and bits of her dream floated through her tired brain. Her breathing was a tad fast and her heart rate was up, but it slowed when Amy remembered where she was.

"_It was a dream," _Amy told herself.

Dreams were recollections of previous events. In reality dreams were no more then the brain categorizing the day's events. However people often believed dreams meant something. That what you saw in your sleep could affect what happened when you woke up. Amy knew all of this but this dream had seemed different. Some parts made sense such as the wounds but the rest of it made no sense. Why would she dream about something she never saw? Who was that girl? She looked like Amy, so was she Amy? Maybe a past version of herself? But why would her brain do that to her? Maybe it wasn't the past. Maybe it was the future. A warning perhaps?

"_Okay no more ghost stories for me." _

Thankfully Amy's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. Sergeant Brosh poked his head into the room.

"Scout Kishi I see you are feeling better," he said happily, "Is there anything I can do for you? Food? Visitor? A drink?"

Amy was confused by the man's strange behavior until she remembered the events before she fell asleep. She flushed a deep red from embarrassment. How could she have confused her fellow officers for her parents? Gah! And then she had started bawling too. Stupid drugs! Stupid hormones! Stupid repressed emotions! Although now that the Sergeant mentioned it Amy was starving. When was the last time she ate anyway? But gah! Her behavior from before. She would have to apologize for that.

"I-I," Amy began uncomfortably, "I apologize for my behavior from before and I promise it won't happen again."

Amy could only stare intently at her hands as she blurted out her apology. She closed her eyes and waited for a reaction. Her hands were sweaty as she twisted them nervously and there was a pressure on her chest.

"No, no it's our fault," Brosh said coming more into the room, "We didn't mean to put all that pressure on you after you just woke up from a tragic event. Armstrong explained your situation. It's perfectly normal that you got a bit upset with us when we mentioned not being a child and depending on adults. You had to depend on your parents up until now. Of course it's hard for you to trust others."

Amy's eyes had widened when Brosh said that Armstrong explained her situation to them. Surely he had not told them about her world? Of course not. No one could be this calm if they just learned about other worlds. Right?

"What exactly did the Major say?" Amy asked trying to show how worried she was.

"That you lost your parents in a fire (Amy almost sighed with relief here). I am sorry for your lost. But if it makes you feel any better this nurse gave us the scolding of a lifetime," Brosh laughed nervously here.

Amy laughed nervously too but for an entirely different reason. She hoped that Cynthia has not blown her cover while scolding the officers. The last thing she needed was to get put back in jail right after she got out.

"Oh she also gave us this," Brosh walked over and handed Amy her orange cap, "One of the workers must have given it to her and she gave it to us."

"My hat!" Amy exclaimed examining it.

It was pretty beat up. There were dirt smudges, holes, and some of stitching was coming undone. The picture on the inside was also crinkled and ripped slightly. Amy was sure that one of the Elric brothers could fix it though. What else was alchemy for?

"Oh," Brosh snapped his fingers as if he forgot something, "There's a visitor for you. Do you want to see her?"

"Sure?" Amy replied.

Who would be visiting her? It couldn't be Cynthia. She would have just come in her nurse outfit. It couldn't be Martha. Giant suits of armor weren't common in hospitals. Betty didn't seem like the visiting type. So who could it be? The door slid open and Winry poked her head into the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of Amy.

"WHAT HAVE THOSE YOU THREE BEEN UP TO?" she yelled.

Amy had some explaining to do.

* * *

(Ed is tied up and in a potato sack. He is also gagged and flopping around like a fish on dry land.)

Tigger: Victory!

Amy: -_-

Tigger: What?

Amy: Nothing! (shifty eyes)

Tigger: (glances at Amy) Anyway back to that contest!The idea is simple I want you, the reviewer, to submit something about your favorite moment in this fic. It could be a drawing, a poem, an omake, anything you want and explain why that is your favorite moment. The winners will be annonced during the 50th chapter and all pieces are due 6 days after the 49th chapter is posted. Easy, no?

Amy: But how will they submit them to you?

Tigger: They can PM the url if they posted it on a website or they can leave a comment about it on my devainart page (username Tiggeranddash).

Amy: Anything else?

Tigger: Just that if anyone has any ideas for the party feel free to PM and let me know. Now time to go fishing!

Amy: You fish?

Tigger: Yes and Ed is going to be my bait!I'm trying to catch the legendary shrimp eater fish!

Ed: (tries to protest but can't due to gag)

Tigger: Well time to go! See ya! (drags Ed away)

Amy: Oh boy.


	46. The WInry Influence

Tigger: I am back!

Ed: You're late!

Tigger: Gah! You make me sound like Kakashi! I'll have you know its only on the internet!

Ed: Hn.

Tigger: YOU SOUND LIKE SASUKE! BEAT THE BIRD-HEAD!

Ed: WHAT?!

Tigger: GET THE BIRD-BOY!

Ed: I DON'T LOOK LIKE A BIRD!

Tigger: You're right. I've seen birds bigger then you.

Ed: WHY YOU!

(Hammer hits Ed and gets knocked unconscious)

Winry: Hello? Anyone home?

Tigger: Hey Winry! (Winry walks over and sees Ed lying on the ground.)

Winry: He had it coming he broke my automail.

Tigger: That he did.

Winry: Where's Amy?

Tigger: She's taken an interest in the Shrimp-Eater. She spends all her time outside its aquarium. Now I have no one to thank reviewers with.

Winry: I'll do them with you.

Tigger: Aw thanks!

Winry: OKay thanks goes out to (Tigger hands her a card and Winry reads off it) AliasAurora, XxWierdchikxX, the sugar-crazed alchemist, pknumba1, The Sora-muffin, Mooncry, Nut and Shell, Seengot, Lizzy lou, Chocolate Chip Monkey, EclipseRibbon, WhiteWitchArcherAlchemist, YukinoKara, ad 13LuLu's.

Tigger: THANKS TO ALIASAURORA FOR YOUR ENTRY IN THE COMPETION!

Winry: (sweatdrop) That wasn't obvious.

Tigger: Who needs to be suddle when they can be loud?

Winry: -_-

Tigger: Want to see the Shrimp-Eater?

Winry: Sure, why not?

(They walk off leaving Ed behind.)

* * *

Once Amy assured Winry that she was perfectly fine and that her all she had were some bruises and a cut (she decided not to mention that she had internally bled). She also assured Winry that she was going to call her about this but had been unconscious most of her time in the hospital. Brosh helped with that part and then quickly left when he saw Winry's weapon of choice. Amy also told Winry that this was a totally unexpected result. The building had just fallen. Who would have seen that coming? (Amy failed to mention the fact that they weren't even supposed to be at the building or why they were there.)

Amy munched at the breakfast Brosh had given her while Winry sat at the end of her bed. She had tried to eat and explain to Winry at the same time which involved a lot of glares when Amy didn't chew fast enough and a couple of times where Amy's food tried to go down the wrong pipe.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Winry sighed with relief.

Amy almost let out a sigh of relief too. She knew that if Winry ever found out that Amy had not told her every single detail that she would probably be hit with wrench. It was for Winry's safety though. The more she knew the deeper she would be dragged into this. Al being a suit of armor was one thing, but Winry didn't need to know that homunculi were controlling a whole army of armor with souls. Not to mention if anyone should be telling Winry anything crucial it should have been Ed or Al. They were all childhood friends after all.

"I'm sorry I didn't call you," Amy apologized feeling a sudden guilt.

After all she had promised she would call Winry after she passed her test, but she got so caught up in her self that she had forgotten. Not to mention she was lying to Winry already. Amy really hated doing that. It just wasn't her place to tell Winry. Amy wished the two of them were closer. Winry was her hero after all. Maybe she should just be grateful that Winry decided to visit her before she visited Ed. Although Amy guessed it was because Winry was mad at Ed for breaking her automail a second time in less then a month.

"It seems as if you've been having tough time, so I'll let you off just this once okay?" Winry said sternly.

Amy nodded in agreement. No reason to pass up a perfectly good author. Besides didn't that mean that Winry forgave her?

"Do you know how Ed is?" Winry asked suddenly.

She seemed worried. Obviously Ed had skipped on details when he called her. Winry had given Amy a brief synopsis of why she was here. Amy had been a bit surprised to find out that Ed had voluntarily called Winry to inform her that he had broken her automail again. Then again Winry could only hurt his eardrums over the phone. Although at the moment Winry seemed a bit more nervous then angry.

"Sorry, I don't know anything," Amy admitted truthfully, "We could go visit him together if you would like."

Winry gave Amy a gracious smile and then frowned slightly.

"I don't get why such a nice girl like you is travelling with the Elrics," she told her, "They're always involved in danger and getting injured. Armstrong said you're really bright, you could do anything!"

Amy blushed at the compliment, "I'm not that smart."

"You have such a love for automail too," Winry went on, "I bet you could it pick it up real fast. You should consider becoming an apprentice. It's much safer then following the Elrics. They get into trouble everywhere they go."

"That is true," Amy remarked finishing off her toast, "But trouble follows me too even before I met the Elrics. Besides it's not as simple as that."

Winry looked like she was about to object but stopped. Instead she focused her attention on the hat besides Amy's bed.

"That's pretty beat up," she commented.

"I was going to ask Ed or Al to fix it for me later," Amy explained.

Winry walked over to the hat and examined it.

"Can't you sew it up?" she asked.

"I'm not that good at sewing," Amy admitted, "Plus it's the picture on the inside that requires the most attention."

Winry flipped the hat over and looked at the picture.

"Those are my sisters," Amy explained.

"They're cute," Winry noted, "Your wearing strange clothes though."

"Clothes from my parent's country," Amy explained (technically not a lie).

"I wish I had sisters," Winry complained, "Ed and Al never understood the point in playing dolls."

"You'd be surprised how many fist fights me and my sisters got into," Amy laughed, "It's not all rainbows and butterflies with little sisters."

"What was it like?" Winry inquired, "Having siblings I mean. I know that you lost them, but before that. What kind of bond did you have?"

Amy paused to think this over. A bond? Back in her own world she had been too self-absorbed and caught up with being a teenager to think that much about her sisters. Sure she had been excited for the days when she could play the role of the big sister and take her little siblings to amusement parks. Though she hadn't put much thought into it after that. Now that she was here though, Amy had a different perspective.

"You love them," Amy spoke from the heart, "Even if you don't realize it, you love them. You want to grow up big and strong. Even when you're angry you want them to live a nice healthy life. I wanted to see them happy. I use to think that even after or parents were gone we would still have each other. They could always depend on me. I would teach them from my experiences. You forgive them no matter what. You can't imagine life without them…until they're gone. Then it's like you're at lost. The people closest to you, the ones who share your DNA, the ones who accept you for every fault are simply gone. In ways it seems to hurt more then loosing my parents because I was supposed to grow up with my siblings and face the world together."

The words had spilled out of Amy's throat. She had no idea where they came from but she knew they were the truth. Every second she missed her sisters rowing up. They could no longer be together. No longer could Amy teach them, hold their hand, or give them piggy back rides. She missed it. She missed the unmistakable everlasting love that her sisters had for her no matter how bitchy she acted. She missed them looking up to her. Her throat tightened slightly, unable to look Winry in the eyes.

_"I wonder if Winry feels the same towards the Elrics."_

It was possible. After all they had known each other since birth. They had done everything together when they were little. Amy was sure at one point in her childhood Winry regarded the two as her siblings. Did it weaken when they left? No. Amy's bond to her siblings felt stronger now more then ever. Winry must have felt the same.

"Come on, let's go visit Edward," Winry smiled cheerfully trying to change the subject.

Amy was grateful for the change of events. Winry grinned and placed the hat on Amy's head. Then she stood back to admire her handiwork.

"It suits you," she declared.

Amy brightened at this comment. She had grown an attachment for the hat. It was nice to know that others approved of it. Winry helped Amy out of her bed because she was still a bit unsteady on her legs. Her limbs felt weak and heavy but Amy could deal with it. She changed as quickly as she could in the bathroom because she did not want to wear hospital clothes. The ones in her world were quite revealing and she was not taking any chances. The two then left the room and Winry led the way to Ed's room.

"No way!" Winry exclaimed upon entering the room.

Ed lay in his bed covered from head to toe in bandages with Brosh and Al standing near the end of the bed. He looked like a mummy costume gone bad. The only part of him that could be seen was his eyes and the one strand of hair sticking out from under his bandages. Although Winry found the sight scary, Amy found it quite hilarious and had to hide a smile beneath her hand.

"What? What happened?" Winry dropped her stuff and rushed to Ed's side," How did this happen? No one told me you were this injured!"

"It wasn't this bad to begin with," Ed mumbled.

Winry paused and Amy looked over at Ed. How do injuries get worse when you're in a hospital? She was pretty sure you were supposed to get better there.

"When Major Armstrong learned I was injured he came to visit me," Ed explained, "Then he gave me a huge hug while apologizing for my injuries."

"Ouch," Amy flinched.

"All of my injuries reopened and that's what happened," Ed finished by pointing to the posing Armstrong who had entered while everyone was distracted.

Winry gave the sparkling man a blank stare. Her expression a mix between disbelief and annoyance.

"MS. KISHI IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU UP AND ABOUT!" Armstrong boomed causing Amy to cover her ears, "I AM SO SORRY FOR YOUR INJURIES IT IS ALL MY FAULT!"

Tears began to stream down the muscely man's face and attempted to hug Amy. Amy, who was already various shades of black, blue, and green, stumbled to the side and hid behind Al. The result being Armstrong falling on the already injured Ed.

"Oops," Amy whispered as there was a loud cracking sound.

"Ed!" Winry exclaimed in shock.

"Brother!"

"I'll go get the nurse," Brosh sighed, "again."

"I'msorry,Ed," Amy apologized in a rushed voice, "Iwasn'tthinking! ArmstrongwasgoingtohugandI'malreadybruisedupsoIduckedandI'mreallyreallysorry!"

"I APOLOGIZE AS WELL MR. ELRIC! LET ME MAKE IT UP TO YOU BY SHOWING YOU HOW WE ARMSTRONGS OVERCOME OUR PAIN!"

Ed just glared at them, unable to move from his cocoon of bandages, which Amy was quite glad for at the moment. Brosh reentered the room followed by Ross and a nurse. The nurse assured everyone that Ed had not added any more injuries to his list and was allowed to take the bandages off. She quickly left though due to a certain shirtless muscle man who attempted to hug her. Amy couldn't blame the woman for running away so fast. Nurses and Armstrong went as well as oil and water.

"Shit, due to those injuries I have to stay longer," Ed mumbled tearing off the remaining bandages, "My injuries weren't half as bad before he came in."

Amy, who was helping dispose of the bandages, turned to look at Armstrong who had struck a pose. She was really glad that he hadn't hugged her. Otherwise she probably would have resembled a black and blue panda.

"Your training is insufficient," Armstrong stated.

"Please don't confuse him with people like you!" Winry pleaded with the man.

Armstrong didn't seem to hear her though because Amy heard him mumble something about lifting pianos.

"Still," Winry's tone became worried, "You were hurt very badly before Armstrong weren't you?"

"It's no big deal," Ed shrugged off Winry's worries, "I heal pretty fast."

Winry continued to look sad and worried.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked.

"I was wondering if you were hurt because your automail broke down," Winry admitted, "Because I wasn't a good enough mechanic."

Winry looked downcast and stared at her feet. A tension filled the room as everyone looked from the guilt-ridden Winry to Ed. Ed looked around frantically unsure of what to do or say.

"No-no, it's not your fault Winry," he tried to assure her, "It broke because I was using it recklessly! Your maintenance was perfect as always! In fact I was able to avoid further injuries because my arm broke! So it's okay!"

A series of expressions crossed Winry's face as she listened to Ed. First was guilt, then surprise, and then a familiar gleam entered the blonde's eyes.

"YEAH IT'S NOT MY FAULT!" Winry repeated, "NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT MY PRICES FOR HAVING TO MAKE THIS REPAIR TRIP RIGHT AWAY!"

Ed's face was priceless as Winry demanded more then her usual pay. Amy was glad that they were both in good spirits though, but she had to remember to never get on Winry's bad side. Besides hitting her with a wrench, Amy was sure that Winry could blackmail Amy into paying her any amount of money. She was certainly quite the business woman.

"Yes, yes," Armstrong nodded to himself, "Fix his arm and with plenty of rest he should be back on his feet in no time. Both he and Ms. Kishi must be well-fed and rested before they continue."

"I get it. I get it!" Ed snapped annoyed at Armstrong's instructions.

While Ed was distracted by Armstrong he didn't notice Winry look at his food tray. He didn't notice her noticing the only thing left on his tray. He didn't notice the look on Winry's face.

"You left the milk," Winry spoke.

She turned to glare at Ed who immediately looked in the other direction. Sweat began to slide down Ed's face as Winry continued to glare at him.

"I hate milk," Ed muttered.

The tension that had filled the room burst as everyone began to yell at Ed.

"IT'S NO WONDER YOU'RE SO SHORT!" Winry screamed, "YOU'LL ALWAYS BE A MIDGET IF YOU SAY STUFF LIKE THAT!"

"SHUT UP! THERE'S NO WAY I WILL DRINK THAT CRAP!" Ed yelled defensively, "IT'S JUICE SECRETED FROM A COW!"

"STOP BEING SELFISH EDWARD ELRIC!" Armstrong commanded.

"Who thinks of milk as being secreted from a cow?" Amy asked no one in particular, "Seriously. No one ever thinks about where their drinks come from. They just drink it."

Brosh nodded his head in agreement and the two of them watched the screaming match continue.

"IF YOU WANT TO HEAL QUICKLY YOU MUST DRINK MILK!"

"IF THAT'S MUCH OF A PROBLEM I CAN ALWAYS HAVE SOMETHING ELSE!"

"THAT'S WHY YOU HAVEN'T GROWN IN YEARS!"

"NO ONE EVER SAID MILK HELPED YOU GROW!"

"Actually," Amy interrupted, "Where I come from milk is proven not only to help you grow but give you strong bones. You're less likely to break something if you drink it."

A silence fell upon the room as Ed and Winry stared at Amy. Ed's mouth fell open in surprise but quickly turned into a scowl.

"WHAT KIND OF BOGUS SCIENCE TESTS DO YOU HAVE WHERE YOU COME FROM?" he shouted.

"HEY DON'T INSULT MY HOME! WE'RE MORE ADVANCED THEN YOU! AND I'M A GOOD FIVE AND A QUARTER INCHES TALLER THEN YOU CAUSE I DRINK MILK!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS AN INCH?"

"LISTEN TO THE GIRL! DO YOU WANT TO BE A MIDGET FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE?"

A door slammed and the fighting ceased as everyone turned to see Al's figure running away through the window pane in the door.

"Did we upset him by fighting?" Amy questioned.

Ed shrugged his shoulders still looking at the door.

"He usually tries to stop fighting," Ed admitted.

Winry nodded in agreement and the room lapsed in silence.

"Well let's see about that arm," she told Ed.

"You should be resting, Scout Kishi," Brosh informed her.

"Yeah, I'll go do that now," Amy replied.

She waved good-bye to Winry and Ed and exited out the door. Once in the hallway she went to the right. Amy had no intention of going to rest. She was going to find Al and speak to him. Something seemed off. Usually he was so kind and had a gentle aurora around him. Now he seemed to be hiding something. He was fine the last time she saw him, so what could have changed? Then again so much had happened since then. Amy hadn't even got to ask Al what happened or if he was okay. What kind of person was she if she didn't even ask about Al's condition? Sure he couldn't be injured but his armor could be damaged. It didn't matter if he was metal, he was still human and he needed to be treated like one. Everyone was so concerned with her and Ed they neglected Al.

"_Where did Al go?"_

* * *

**Omake: **Okay one of my reviewers wanted to see some Ed and Amy shipping so I decided to make an omake about it. A ridiculous over the top Mary-Sue omake! :) Here we go.

Amy: Oh no! I've been in this library in Central too long. It's dark out. I better run home with no more then this book to protect me and not tell anyone where I'm going. Even though Scar is on the loose and know that there are lots of sick twisted people out there I'll run anyway.

(Amy is running through the streets back to the hotel)

Amy: How odd there are no people in this crowded bustling capital. Only one lamppost is working too. The city better fix that.

(Suddenly Envy burst out from a trash can)

Amy: Gah! Envy! Oh no! I'll just stand here in terror and not run away or defend themselves like a sane person would do.

Envy: Haha! I got you now! I'm going to kidnap you for no reason written in this script. Although it is secretly because I love you even though we never met face to face because I was wearing a disguise or you were unconscious.

Amy: But if you kidnap me I cannot watch Ed eat chocolate chip cookies and be a jerk to me which is my favorite pastime.

Envy: Too bad I'm evil!

Amy: Nooo! I'm going to run away now instead of before when you were still getting out of that trash can!

(Amy runs but trips over her own shoelace)

Amy Ah it hurts so much! My skinned knee causes me more pain then that time a building collapsed on me or the precious times when I almost died.

Envy: I'm going to walk towards you slowly and dramatically while evilly laughing.

Amy: Oh no! It's all over for me!

Ed: Hey jerk-ass! (transmutes a giant hole beneath Envy)

Envy: (falls in hole) NOOOOOOOO!!!! I SHALL BE BACK!

Ed: Are you okay Amy? Let me help you up even though all you did was skin your knee which you do every day due to your clumsy ways.

Amy: Ed I am so glad to see you! Where's Al?

Ed: I left him behind when I sensed you were in danger.

Amy: Oh Ed! (swoons)

Ed: Amy I love you and your clumsy ways. Marry me even though you have a whole life in a different world where I am nothing more then a fictional character and we are too young to marry anyway?

Amy: Of course Ed! Let's go I think I saw the Philosopher's stone in the trash can Envy jumped out of!

Ed: I knew there was a reason I loved you!

Amy: Look you just grew six inches and you are now taller then me!

Ed: How convenient!

Amy: Let's go, Ed!

Ed: Yes, my love!

(The two skip away into the sunset even though its nighttime and has been for a few hours.)


	47. A Little Hospital, A Lot of Emotion

Tigger: I AM BACK...AGAIN! Sorry it took me forty days to update. I have a whole list of excuses including failing organs and family emergencies but I know you guys probably just want this chapter so I'll save you the speech.

Ed: You just don't want to explain.

Tigger: SHUT UP ED! DON'T MAKE ME HURT YOU!

Ed: Being here hurts me.

Tigger: WHY YOU LITTLE

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HIS HEIGHT IS EQUAL TO THAT OF A HOBBIT!

Amy: I didn't know Ed knew about hobbits.

Al: He's been called one on a couple of occasions.

Amy: Oh. That makes sense.

Tigger: HOBBITS ARE GIANTS COMPARED TO YOU!

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY SHORT SHORT MIDGET?

Amy: Uhmm while they fight I would like to thank Goldenfightergirl, pknumba1, The Sora-muffin, AliasAurora, the sugar-crazed alchemist, Mooncry, XxWierdchikxX, bluedog10, Lizzy lou, YukinoKara, Fuurai, Nut and Shell, vampireluver1613, animefan43, BlackStar-F, -84Silver48-, arden_anam, xWeaselxWolfx, random-tuesday, Naruto-fan-4-ever, Avocados, Ynnah, Ishmari14, weasle57, and Chibi Neko Chibi Nya.

Tigger: YOU! YOU TEASPOON SIZED MIDGIT!

Al: I think we should start the chapter now.

Amy: I think so too.

* * *

Amy wandered aimlessly through the hallways, making sure to remember which way she had come from. She shrunk away from any visitors or nurses. She felt uncomfortable talking to them and she was afraid they would send her back to her room before she saw Al. Finally she spotted Al sitting on a bench with an old man sitting at the other end. Besides Al was a phone but he didn't look like he was going to call anyone and he was ignoring the old man at the end of the bench too.

"Al," Amy approached him slowly, "I'm sorry if we upset you by fighting."

"You didn't upset me," Al replied.

Amy frowned. Al sounded down. His voice didn't have his usual positive attitude.

"Oh okay," Amy tried to think of what to say next, "So how are you doing? No one's told me anything."

"Brother is fine, he was worried about you for a while though," Al admitted, "You drifted in and out of consciousness for the first two days here."

"Really?" Amy gaped she didn't know she had been out of it for that long, "Wow. I mean…woah…that's uhmm a bit of a shock. I mean…woah… I mean I was asking about you. Did you break anything?"

"My armor is fine," Al answered mechanically.

Amy thought that was a weird way to answer a question. No one just talked about certain body parts of them when they were asked if they were fine. They usually said 'I'm fine and my arm should heal soon' or something like that.

"What about you?" she asked again, "What happened? Was the fight bad?"

"My armor is fine!" Al snapped.

Amy froze. She had never heard Al get angry like that. She had seen it in the anime and read about it, but he only ever got angry at Mr. Tucker. Someone who deserved much more then anger. Now he was snapping at Amy in a harsh tone. It made her feel guilty, like she committed a sin against him. Her throat clenched and her eyes felt hot.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I just wanted…"

"Just wanted to what?" Al repeated, "Wanted to talk to someone who you already know their whole life? Wanted to travel with us even though you know what's going to happen? Even though you knew the truth."

"Al what are you talking about? I know nothing about the future. What truth?"

"Just go away," Al ordered, "You have no idea of the pain our past had. To you we are nothing more then an idol. Someone you look up to. You have no idea who we really are! The punishment we endure every day! What it's like!"

Amy didn't say anything as Al continued to rant. His words felt like knives to her heart. She had thought out of everyone in FMA, Al would be the most accepting, that he wouldn't judge her. Was this the anger talking or was this how Al really felt? Had he been hiding these feelings the entire time? When he let her hide in his armor or when he helped her climb over a wall? When he protected her? Was she nothing more then a burden? Had he been acting?

"No," Amy whispered.

No, Al was an honest person. He said what was on his chest and he never hurt someone's feelings. He didn't mean it. Al was upset and taking it out on Amy. Striking her where it hurt. Still the words didn't hurt any less. Instead of getting upset though, Amy got angry.

"I don't know what your deal is, but you need to quit it!" Amy commanded fiercely and sharply, "I know your upset, but that's no reason to take it out on me. I came here to see how you were doing, not be yelled at!"

"Did you come here to see me or did you come here because Brother told you too?" Al spat out.

The way he said brother made it sound like something disgusting. As if Ed wasn't really his brother. Amy faulted a bit a hearing this but decided to try a different approach. The Al she knew did better with emotions then actions.

"You're my friend. I came to see you," Amy explained, "You're all I have in this world and I was concerned about you. You can tell me what's wrong. I trust you and I want you to trust me. I want you to depend on me."

Al's reserve seemed to soften for a moment, but then his facial features hardened again.

"Why should I trust you? You've been hiding things from me. Who can I trust? What if the Al you know is nothing more then a fake? What if that Al was only created by his surroundings? What if his likes and dislikes were all an illusion? What if his emotions weren't real? What then?" Al questioned.

He fired off his questions so fast and said them so harshly Amy couldn't reply to one before he asked another.

"But your Al," was the only response Amy could come up with.

Al was Al. He couldn't be anyone else. Whether he was a suit or armor or a boy. Al was Al. He would like the same things and act the same way. Only his physical exterior changed.

"Al doesn't exist," Al told her, "Everything you told me and experienced with me were nothing more then an illusion. Al is artificial."

With that Al left. Amy didn't move. She stood there stunned. Al's insults and remarks hurt her deeply. She felt betrayed and her heart felt heavy with sorrow. At the same time she didn't understand. How could Al not exist? How could everything they had done together not matter? They had known each other for over half a month. Was it all really fake? But how so? Was Al no real? Was this place not real? Did everything she do here not matter? Was this all some bizarre dream?

No. Amy knew it was real. Time and time this had been proven to her. The heartaches, the injuries, the laughs, and the people she met were all real. So if this world was real then Al was real, right? Or maybe there was more to Al. Maybe he was like a robot made from alchemy. Maybe he was just a program to hold the real Al's memories.

But all the times that had shared. Amy first meeting the Elrics and knocking Al's box over. Amy and Al being box buddies. Al talking to Amy outside the Rockbell household. Al, Ed, and Amy all fighting Armstrong. Al carrying Amy in his chest and then to the car. Al, Ed, and Amy sneaking into the Fifth Research Institute. That was all real. Amy was sure of it.

Of course Al was real. He had a human body originally. That was the entire reason for this quest. They had pictures of Al when he was little. People who knew him. Ed who loved him. Why would they do all that for a robot? Al was real but he didn't think so. He thought he was a fake so he thought Amy was a fake. That she was only there to watch them for entertainment. That she was untrustworthy.

"My friend," Amy said looking at her injured arms.

What could she do now? She couldn't talk sense into Al. Should she go and tell Ed? Wasn't that tattling then? Amy was sure Ed would rather Al tell him though. If her sisters had a problem, she would rather her sisters tell her. But then what? Should she just sit and wait? Was that all she could do? Was her time with Al not enough to influence him at all? Could she disappear at this moment and everyone's life would continue on like nothing happened? Did she really not matter? It seemed like it.

Amy walked back to the room with a broken heart and a mind filled with thoughts. She laid down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She pondered and thought but mostly she reminisced about her home, her wacky adventures with her old friends, and all the past troubles she went through. She tried to keep her thoughts from Al, but he seemed to keep popping up in her mind at random times. Eventually, hours later, she fell into a fitful sleep.

************************************************************************

When Amy woke up the next morning the medicine Cynthia gave her was on her dresser with a note. Carefully Amy leaned over and grabbed the note.

_Hey Am-Am,_

_I'm sorry I haven't visited you again, but a certain nurse wanted her uniform back so I have no disguise. Isn't that sad? I thought I looked so cute in it too____. Anyway, your injuries are healing nicely (I read it on my chart) so you should be leaving soon. Betty says to remember to take your medicine and if you visit Central again you must visit our shop. She is quite the florist. Martha wishes you luck too. She says, and I quote, "This kid is involved in something much deeper then a petty gang members like us have ever seen". I'm not petty am I? What's that mean anyway? Martha told me to write to you that she plans to do some snooping around in Central. She says she'll tell you if she finds anything interesting. Okay time to be serious for a moment. Amy, I don't know what happened in the Fifth Research Institute but my friend is now a soul in a suit of armor. If there is anyway to fix her, will you let us know? We won't stop searching on our own, but, if you ever need any help, feel free to call us. Anyway this is good-bye for now. Come visit us soon and destroy this note when you finish reading it! ___

_Love your big sister,_

_Cynthia_

"How am I supposed to destroy this?" Amy asked herself.

Well she could always eat it, but she didn't think that was good for her recovering body. Maybe she could set it on fire, but with what? It's not like the nurses left matches lying around. Besides ashes in a trashcan would be a hint that something happened. Amy looked at the window.

"_That could work."_

Slowly, because it hurt to even flex a muscle, Amy got up and walked over to the window. She managed to get it open and leaned over it. It was early in the morning and Amy could see the sun peeking over the various buildings. Her room was located on the third floor on the side of the building towards the back. There was also a nice breeze. Amy tore the letter into itty-bitty pieces and threw them into the wind. Some pieces were a bit heavier and floated downwards while the rest were caught by the breeze and were sent whirling and twirling through space.

Amy watched until all the paper had been carried out of sight and then retreated back into the room. She took her medicine, had a quick shower (well as quick as one can when it hurts to lift one's arms), and changed into some new clothes. Her injuries were doing well, only time could heal them now. She sat on her bed staring at the ceiling once again. Eventually a nurse would bring her breakfast, but then what? Should she go talk to Al again? Part of Amy wanted to confront him, but the other half wanted to stay away. What if he hurt her more? What if he continued to insult her? What if it wasn't just the anger speaking? What if Al really felt that way? What would Amy do then?

She hadn't really thought about it, but if the Elrics ever ditched her Amy would be at a lost. Since she was technically a member of the army, Amy would have to continue working for the military while she spent time in this world. But there was no way she could travel the country alone. Besides only knowing what she read in books, Amy was too scared to travel alone. Sure she could manage one train ride, but spending weeks at a time by herself in a strange place? Amy couldn't do it. Even if she did manage to get over her nerves, Amy didn't think she could stand being alone for long periods of time. People were social creatures after all.

It wasn't like the Elrics would leave her anyway. They weren't that kind of people, well Al used to not be that kind of person. They might leave her though if that thought she was in danger. Amy had to admit it, she was pretty pathetic. She was stubborn, smart, clumsy, and would get up after falling down. These qualities were useful in her world (except for the clumsy one, that just made everyone laugh), but she needed more if she planned to continue to travel with the Elrics. She would need to know how to protect herself. What good was her hammer if she never swung it? She needed to know how to fight. So that the next time an insane murderer came charging towards her she would be able to fight back.

A nurse interrupted Amy's musings by bringing in breakfast. She checked Amy's vitals, declared she was doing well, and left. Amy stared at the familiar and the unfamiliar food and began to pick at it. She wasn't very hungry anyway, so instead she drank her carton of milk and had a piece of toast. Had she changed at all since coming here? Amy would like to think she did. She had more confidence in her brain at least and she had tried new things that she never would have done before. Even if the changes were small and slow, she was still changing. Amy frowned at her food. That was it! She was going to go talk to Al! She had to stop sitting around being sorry for herself! Al was her friend! So he was acting differently, Amy couldn't just sit here and watch!

A knock came on the door and Amy felt her confidence leave her. What if that was Al? What would she say? What would she do? Her mind spun but nothing came up. She couldn't even open her mouth to respond to the knocking. Her heart still hurt from yesterday and Amy didn't think she could bear anymore.

"Amy," Winry called, "Amy, are you up?"

Amy was thankful for the familiar voice. Her fast beating heart, slowed down and Amy relaxed slightly.

"Yeah, I'm up," Amy replied.

The door slid open and Winry and Mr. Hughes entered the room.

"Mr. Hughes, what are you doing here?" Amy asked surprised.

"Winry here was staying at my house last night," Hughes explained, "She came to Elysia's party and fixed her toys and sung her happy birthday and it was so cute when she said that Winry was her sister. Absolutely adorable! Elysia was sad her other sister was unable to make it and she even made you this get well card and it was so cute. Look I took lots of pictures of the party would you like to see them? Elysia is three now, isn't she growing up so fast? It seemed like just yesterday she was two."

"It was yesterday," Winry blanched.

"You're right! The moments are passing by too quickly!" Hughes declared passionately, "Before I know it my daughter will be all grown up and I will be left all alone with only these pictures to remember her by! What will I do then? Without her my life will be bleak! Her smile is that of an angel's and brings heavenly joy to my heart!"

"At least you have a lot of pictures," Amy offered.

"YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT! I SHALL TRY TO REMEMBER EVERY MOMENT THROUGH PICTURES ALTHOUGH THEY WILL NEVER COMPARE TO MY REAL WONDERFUL ANGEL!

"I thought he was already doing that?" Winry whispered to Amy.

Amy just shrugged. There was no explaining people like Hughes or Armstrong. They were who they were. People just had to act nice and avoid any situations they may get dragged into. Amy and Winry were failing that seconds part though.

"Speaking of which," Hughes pushed up his glasses acting serious for a moment, "Here are some pictures of Elysia's party!"

Hughes almost sung that last part as he took dozens of pictures out of his pockets and shoved them into Amy's face.

"Aren't they adorable? I think the moment Elysia turned three she started growing cuter. Not that she wasn't cute before. But with every moment she grows more adorable."

Hughes continued to rant while Amy observed some of pictures, she had to lean back to do this. Elysia looked like she was having a fun time. Amy was sad that she had missed it. Maybe she could send a belated birthday gift to the girl. Amy bet Elysia would love a new toy or maybe a sundress. She was pretty cute after all.

"Uhmm Mr. Hughes," Winry interrupted with a sweatdrop running down the back of her head, "Shouldn't we visit Ed now?"

"You're right!" Hughes cooed, "I bet Ed would love to see these pictures too!

Amy and Winry sweatdropped.

* * *

Al and Amy Mary-Sueness Shipping!

**OMAKE:**

(Amy is sitting on in front a tree reading a book. Al comes up to her.)

Amy: Hi Al!

Al: Oh hi Amy!

(Meowing sound comes from Al's chest)

Amy: Is that a kitty?

Al: Yes, but don't tell brother. (takes kitty out of armor)

Amy: This neko is so kawaii!

(Al totally understand Japanese even though he's amestrain)

Al: But nii-san won't let me keep him.

Amy: I'll keep him!

Al: Will you?

(two are totally forgetting that they travel together)

Amy: Of course! I shall name him Muffins.

Al: Amy you really are a wonderful person.

(Muffins transforms into Envy)

Amy: OMG! (literally oh-m-gee)

Al: ENVY!

Envy: MUHAHAHA! That is right! I am here to kidnap Amy for no reason related to the plot of this story!

Amy: Legasp! How could you do such an evil thing?

Envy: I haven't actually done it yet....and I'm the evil villain that's kind of what I do.

Al: I WILL NEVER LET YOU HURT AMY!

Envy: Why are you shouting? I haven't done anything yet! Sheesh give me a break.

Amy: TAKE THIS! (Swings her hammer at Envy)

Envy: OW! What the hell? I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING YET!

(Amy trips and twists her ankle)

Amy: My ankle! Oh no I can't move through the blinding pain even though I have had worst injuries then this!

Al: AMY! Don't worry I shall avenge you!

Envy: WHAT? She did that to herself! I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING YET!

(Al uses his alchemy to create a giant fist which punches Envy and he flies away)

Al: Amy are you alright? (picks Amy up bridal style)

Amy: Suddenly my injury no longer hurts.

Al: That is good news.

Amy: Hey the book I was reading before said this tree was magical and could grant wishes. Why don't you wish to have your body again?

Al: Alright. I wish I had my body again.

(There is a flash of light and suddenly a fourteen year old Al is holding Amy)

Al: It worked.

Amy: And conveniently you are only a few months younger then me.

Al: Now I can finally tell you that I love you Amy!

Amy: Even though we were only friends before, now that you're suddenly a very cute human, I love you too.

Al: Let's go get married and live in a house with lots of pet cats.

Amy: Sure it wasn't like we have to stop an evil organization, get me back to my own world, or tell your brother.

Al: Let's go.

(They run off into a field full of flowers and hearts surrounding them.)


	48. Violence is Always the Answer

Tigger: Look I am here with another wonderful chapter!

Ed: Wow, its a dream come true.

Tigger: Do I sense a bit of sarcasm Eddie?

Ed: DON'T CALL ME EDDIE!

Tigger: You mean you prefer the term midget?

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE SHOULD CHANGE HIS NAME TO SHORT STUFF?

Tigger: I think the name Short-Tempered-Little-Person suits you better.

Ed: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!

Tigger: With your tiny hands?

Ed: RAWR!

(Ed launches himself at Tigger and they begin to fight. Amy steps forward.)

Amy: Uhmm I'm going to thank the reviewers.

(Fighting continues)

Amy: Alright then. Okay thanks to 13Lulu's, , Chibi Neko Chibi Nya, the sugar-crazed alchemist, AliasAurora, Nut and Shell, Ishmari14, XxWierdchikxX, Joon The Ninja, The Sora-muffin, Ceramicpizza, iTorchic, Moonrise31, Aiokaci, AC/DC-FAN, Tamahone, animeloverfourever, Yereton, White Wing Alchemist, Silvaria, YukinoKara, and Ria442 for reviewing, favoriting, and sending pms.

(Loud crashing noise)

Ed: Yeah well you don't own FMA, its plots, or its characters!

(More exchanging of blows)

Tigger: I OWN AMY THOUGH!

(Something breaks)

Amy: I'm owned?

(Part of celiling falls down)

Tigger: I also own some FMA merchandise but I don't have any rights to it. NOW EAT HAMMER MIDGET!

(Loud smacking sound)

Amy: I'm just going to start the chapter now.

(Small explosion)

* * *

Ross greeted Amy and Winry happily outside of Ed's door. She seemed in a good mood and so were Winry and Hughes. It seemed like everyone was happy and cheerful. The atmosphere made Amy feel better too and she pushed her worries about Al to the back of her mind. Al was a kind person. He was just having a tough time. They would work it out. Amy laughed as Hughes offered some pictures to Ross which she quickly denied. She was still smiling when Winry opened the door and the two steeped inside.

"I DIDN'T WANT THIS BODY!" Al shouted angrily.

Amy froze, her blood turning into ice and her good mood evaporating. Al's chair fell onto the floor but nobody moved. Amy, Winry, and Ed were all frozen in shock. Ed and Winry stared at Al wide-eyed, unsure of what to do or how to proceed. Al never acted like this. He had ever sounded so angry, so hateful, other then right now. Even his anger at Ed after the fight with Scar or his fight with Amy paled compared to this. Instead of letting his feelings out by arguing with Amy, his emotions had stewed. His emotions had been put in a pot and set over a hot stovetop until they just exploded. Al was shaking but from what was Amy's guess.

"I didn't want this body," Al whispered.

Ed seemed to unfreeze slightly at this. He looked awkward and ashamed.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he apologized looking at his lap guiltily, "This is all my fault that everything got screwed up. That's why I'll restore your body as soon as possible."

"What proof is there that you'll restore me?" Al growled.

"I'll definitely return your body!" Ed's declare sounded more like a plea, "Trust me!"

Amy could feel the tension in the room tighten. Things were going to get worse, she knew it. But she couldn't help. She couldn't move. She couldn't say a thing. Her fight with Al kept playing back in her head while she watched Al turn on his brother. She knew what it was like to be in Ed's position. Only Ed's position had to be ten times worse. To have Al blaming him, his own brother. That had to be the worse thing possible. After all, they only had each other. So Amy was stuck, watching the terrible feud, frozen from shock, fear, emotions of her own fight, and the wish that this was all a terrible dream.

"You're telling me to trust this hollow body?" Al's voice sounded dark and scary, "In Alchemy, they say that humans are made up from mind, body, and soul. But where was their ever a person that proved that in an experiment? If you think about it memory is just information, so it ought to be possible to create an artificial one."

No one could ignore the bad feeling they had in their guts or the chills that Al's speech was giving them. Yet no one could move. No one could stop Al from talking or run away from those words. It was as if the words bound them there. Only Ed was able to respond.

"What?" he interrupted, his expression confused and hurt," Al, what are you talking about?"

"Brother you said there was something you were too scared to tell me, right?" Al continued without waiting for an answer, "Could that have been that my memories and soul were fake?"

Al's accusation struck Ed hard. His eyes widened and he seemed frozen in horror. His reaction seemed to only feed Al's emotions and accusations. He continued with more vigor then before, as if he was trying to convince himself that he was right.

"Brother, how do you prove that a person named Alphonse Elric ever existed?" Al demanded, "Isn't it possible that Winry, Granny, everybody was tricking me? Well, is it, Brother?"

No one moved. No one breathed as they waited for Ed's response. Ed had not spoken since Al said that his memories could be fake. Ed didn't say anything; instead he slammed his hands into his food tray. His plates rattled and a fork fell to the floor but Ed didn't move his eyes from his tray. Al waited for Ed's response.

"Is that what you've been holding inside the entire time?" Ed asked seriously, "Is that everything you wanted to say?"

His questions surprised Amy. She never thought Al would hold feelings inside. She was sure that these feelings were recent. Al never doubted his brother before now. But then again maybe he secretly had? Underneath that kind smile maybe Al had been in pain this entire time? But that was ridiculous! Al never held his feelings in like that! Or at least Amy thought he didn't.

"I see," Ed gave a sad smile and got up.

He walked pass Al and out the door without so much as looking back. He didn't even flinch when Winry called for him.

How could this have happened? How could Al become so mean and cruel? Why wasn't Ed asking about him? Ed should be shaking sense into Al! This was all in Al's head! Of course Al was a person! Why was Al having these doubts? What had led to them? How could he hurt them like that without caring? How could he have hurt Ed so much without causing pain to himself? They were so close. It was one thing if he got mad at Amy. She understood. They had only known each other for a month. But Ed. Ed was everything to Al. Ed did everything for Al. And Al had hurt him. Now what? What could Amy do? She had already failed to help Al once. What now?

Amy saw a glint out of the corner of her eye and turned to see Winry looking furious. She was glaring at Al and, faster then Amy could blink, Winry whipped out a large wrench and swung it at Al. Amy flinched at the loud clanging sound and Winry's scream of "Dummy!"

"What was that for?" Al asked sounded scared and holding the side of his face.

Winry's swing had knocked him to the floor and she probably would have given Al a heart attack if he had a normal body. Winry didn't answer as she stood there shaking with her anger. Then tears began to flow out of her eyes.

"Winry!" Al sounded surprised and scared of Winry's tears.

Before he could utter another word Winry chucked her wrench and it hit him smack in the middle of the forehead. Amy winced at that one too.

"AL, YOU BIG DUMMY!" Winry yelled at him, "YOU DON'T KNOW HOW ED FEELS!"

More tears trickled down Winry's face but she held strong. No one dared to interrupt her. It was obvious Winry had something to say and that she was going to say it.

"The thing that Ed was afraid to say," Winry admitted, "Was that you blamed him for everything!"

Winry's eyes to grow misty and had a faraway look as she explained.

"He worried that you blamed him for everything!" Winry reprimanded, "He fell asleep every night crying along with the pain and the fever the automail surgery caused!"

Winry's legs seemed unable to hold her any longer and she fell to her knees. Amy made a move to leave her spot in the doorway and go towards Winry but stopped when Hughes placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at Hughes' serious expression and then turned back to Winry. She understood. It was not her place to interrupt but still it hurt seeing Winry like this. Seeing Ed like this. Knowing that Al wasn't really like this. She wanted to help, but she couldn't. All she could do was watch.

"But…you're still," Al tried to grasp for a reason as Winry repeatedly hit him with her wrench.

"In what world is there an idiot who would throw his life away to make his own fake little brother?" Winry demanded hitting him harder and harder with the wrench.

Al was at a loss for words as reason struck him. Winry lowered her wrench and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Besides isn't he your only brother?" she asked.

Al glanced at his own feet guilty, realizing he had been acting like a spoiled child. Winry pointed her finger towards the door.

"Chase after him," she ordered.

Al nodded his head and got up.

"Ok," he agreed.

"Hurry up!" Winry screeched waving her fist.

Al bolted for the door and down the hallway. Winry got up and ran towards the doorway shaking her fist until Al could no longer be seen.

"Well what are you waiting for?" Winry demanded from the onlookers (Ross, Brosh, Amy, and Hughes), "We have to make sure that those idiots make up."

Winry looked and sounded angry, but it was obvious she was worried about her childhood friends. Amy nodded her head in agreement and the two of them followed the path that Al had gone. They went down a hallway, took a sharp left, and raced up the flights of stairs to the roof. Winry was leading the way, knowing where the Elric brothers would go while Amy followed closely. Hughes had followed too but his long strides made the jog look easier. They arrived at the top of the steps and stopped. The door leading to the rooftop was wide open and they could clearly see the Elric brothers sparring.

No one moved or spoke as the fight unfolded. Ed won by throwing a sheet at Al and kicking him. Then the two laid down on the roof and spoke. They spoke of past fights and who had won and lost. They mentioned their teacher, someone Amy had never heard of, and a fight over who would marry Winry.

"I am going to get stronger both emotionally and at fighting," Ed declared raising his fist into the air, "And…drink…as much milk…as…I can."

Al chuckled at the remark and raised his fist into the air too.

"Yeah," his fist collided with Ed's, "Let's get stronger."

"I guess there are times when you have to say things to get the message across," Winry said quietly to Hughes and Amy.

"Only after you physically knock some sense into their head," Amy added thinking of how both Winry and Ed had hit Al before talking to him.

Hughes laughed at Amy's comment and Winry gave a sheepish smile.

"Ow," Ed moaned as Al helped him over to the stairs.

"That's what you get for being so reckless," Al scolded his brother.

"Ed, you better not have wrecked my automail," Winry threatened.

"After all that and that's the first thing you say to me," Ed grumbled.

"That's because you're an idiot with a one track mind," Winry told him.

"I am not!"

"That's right. You're a midget with a one track mind," Winry said patting him on the head.

"Hey!"

"Brother, be nice."

"She started it!"

************************************************************************

"Then this guy kicked me," Ed explained while holding up a very bad drawing of Envy, "And that's all I can remember."

Things had settled down now. Winry had been sent somewhere by Ed and Hughes had gathered up Armstrong and they were all gathered in Ed's room. Amy, Al, Armstrong and Hughes stood standing around the night side table Ed was using as a desk. On the table were a few drawings of what Ed has seen inside Laboratory Number 5. Really for someone who drew complex alchemy circles for a living Amy expected him to be a better artist. Amy had zoned out slightly while the others pondered over what had happened in the Lab. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, it was just that her mind kept drifting. She was trying to remember every moment of her night in the Lab. There could have been something, anything that could help unravel the mystery.

Amy picked up the drawings and stared at them. There had been three suits but four souls in the Lab. Three of those souls were murderers but one was not. What did that mean? Were they getting desperate? Gathering an army? There had to be a point to these armor suits. It was obvious by their numbers that there were more of them. But where were the others? Were the failed experiments? Amy's head was spinning. This was too much. She preferred math class to this. At least there were people there to help her if she got stuck. Oh. She hadn't told the others about Martha yet.

"What about you?" Ed asked Amy.

Amy blinked and pointed at herself. She had been tuning out the conversation so she had no idea what was going on.

"What about me?" she repeated.

"What happened to you while you were in there?" Ed asked, "You were screaming at one point so you must have encountered another guard."

The others focused their attention on Amy now and she froze up. What should she say? Was she safe to say it? Did Martha want her to talk about this? If she did, then where to begin? Should she just get straight to the point?

"_You're over-thinking things," _her brain told her.

"It was a guard," Amy answered trying to explain things as best she could, "Her name was Martha. I met her that night I was put in jail, only back then she had a body."

"So these experiments are recent," Hughes murmured rubbing his chin.

"Martha wasn't a killer either," Amy's voice got lower as she continued to talk, "Martha found me and we talked. She explained what happened but she wasn't able to give details. Her memory is fuzzy and it's not like they explained anything to her."

The others nodded in agreement. It was obvious that the Sins, as they had been dubbed, were trying to keep everything secret.

"We discussed what happened and we came up with a theory," Amy explained, "She doesn't remember being killed or them doing anything to her body. We figured that since they didn't destroy the body, that maybe they might still have it. That maybe her body was still alive and they were using it for something."

"But what would they want with soulless bodies?" Armstrong asked.

"Is Martha still alive?" Al questioned cautiously.

Even though things had returned to normal Al and Amy hadn't gotten a chance to talk. Al hadn't even mentioned the fight between them. Amy wondered if he even remembered. She was glad to have Al back to normal and was willing to pretend the fight had never occurred, but Al's words still stung. They were still floating around in the back of her mind, ready to strike when she wasn't focused on something else. Amy wished that Al could at least explain that. He didn't even have to apologize, he just had to say if he truly believed those words. Amy knew it was stupid, Al probably just said those things in anger, but she still wanted to know.

"Yeah, she contacted one of her friends who contacted me," Amy admitted, "She said she was going to go search for some answers. She'll contact me if she finds anything."

Ed sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So she doesn't know anything either," Ed sighed again.

"This case involves many mysteries," Armstrong stated.

"Even if we tried to investigate the Research Institute is a pile of rubble now," Hughes said looking thoughtful.

The group turned their heads to the side and gazed at the ceiling as if it held the answers to their problems.

"Something might pop up if I look through the list of criminals at the tribunal," Hughes offered while staring at Ed's picture of the Ouroboros' tattoo.

"I will do some investigating of those who worked under Mr. Marcoh when he was researching the Philosopher's Stone," Armstrong told them.

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted.

At once everyone turned to see who had walked in the door. Furher Bradley stood in the doorway with a smile on his face. Amy's heart practically skipped a beat at the sight and she jumped up to salute her new boss and ruler of the country.

"Furher Bradley!" everyone else cried in alarm while jumping to attention.

* * *

Tigger: Now that Ed is unconscious I have another mary sue omake to reveal. This one is about Mustang and Amy. Although I don't paprticulary like Mustang so it may end up as more of a Mustang bashing. Oh yeah remember to enter the contest people!

**Omake:**

(Amy is sitting on Eastern Headquarter's steps eating ice-cream. Why is she there? Where did the ice-cream come from? Where are Ed and Al? The world may never know.)

Amy: It sure is hot out today.

(Mustang appears besides Amy)

Mustang: The only hot thing here is me and you. Together I bet we could cause global warming.

Amy: That line is so cute and not cheesy in the least! I'm also not going to pay attention to the global warming line because global warming doesn't exist in FMA.

Mustang: I'm sorry miss I got lost in your eyes. Maybe you could give me a map.

Amy: That line was also not incredibly cheesy nor had nothing to do with what I just said.

(Amy blushes and looks at her shoes)

Mustang: Why are you averting your beautiful face from my handsome one?

Amy: Well, the truth is Mustang (blushes and fidgets) you're actually my favorite character from FMA and I only joined the military to be with you!

Mustang: (blushes) Amy, I also have a confession to make. You see I only act like a lady's man to cover up the fact that I'm incredibly nervous around women. Just looking at you sends my heart into a frenzy.

Amy: Oh Mustang.

Mustang: Oh Amy.

(The two lean in closer and closer to kiss when Amy suddenly shoves her ice-cream into his face and stands up)

Amy: What the hell is wrong with you? I'm a minor! This is illegal! Not to mention the age difference of thirteen years! Not only are women-obsessed but now you're a child molester?! Have some deceny!

(Begins to storm off but Mustang throws himself at her feet)

Mustang: But I love you and age is only a number!

Amy: Sorry, but Riza you told me to say that to all the men. Besides I have to go get kidnapped by Envy now for no good reason and he'll keep in a nice safe place and fall in love with me. Then I shall become a sin and we shall live happily ever after. Toodles.

(Amy skips off. Mustang is left there heartbroken and covered with ice-cream. Eventually Mustang goes to a bar where he and Havoc drink out their women problems until they are arrested for being 'Too Sad of a Drunk.'


	49. Take Us to Your Leader

Tigger: I know I know this is very late, but I had humongus writer's block and then Ishamari asked me when I would update and I promised on Wednesday and today's Friday. Guess I can't tell time.

Ed:There's a lot of things you can't do, like the disclaimer. You still don't FMA or any of its characters.

Tigger: Shut up Ed!

Amy: Let's just thank the reviewers Vampire Note, YukinoKara, Lonelyfairy, Nut and Shell, Kazumi-Uchiha-567, The Sora-muffin, Ishmari14, xWeaselxWolfx, the sugar-crazed alchemist, White Wing Alchemist, SyberSweetHeart, knyghtstar, JC-WV, Luffy-fangirl245, Silvaria, Neko Ed Lover, R.P Tacy, Kiddy-Cookie-Chan, ThornRose16, BuizelMaster, XxLexiLacerationxX, AC/DC-FAN, fireice alchemist73, Yargy the Pirate Queen, ixluvxprinny, Th3.1.n., smiley-face-central, TheInkDragonRosette, and DarknessintheLight for reviewing/favoriting/being awesome.

Ed: I'm sure they don't want to hear you talk, just get on with the chapter.

Tigger: Fine. ED IS A MIDGET!

Ed: WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE WEARS DOLL OUTFITS FOR CLOTHES?

* * *

"Hello," the Furher waved at them casually, "You can stand down."

"Yes sir," they said in unison and lowered their arms.

Amy's insides had turned to mush as she tried to look calm. She also subtly took a step back. She was praying that the Furher wouldn't even notice her presence.

"Furher, what are you doing in a place like this?" Hughes asked.

"Ah to drop off a get well present," the Furher said placing a melon in Ed's hands, "Do you not like melons?"

"Oh thank you," Ed stated nervously, the paused before bursting out, "THAT'S NOT WHAT'S WRONG HERE!"

"I brought one for our new scout too," the Furher smiled as he placed another melon in Amy's hands.

Amy froze up as the Furher smiled at her.

"I...uh…uhmm…thank you!" Amy managed to stutter.

She stood there awkwardly holding the melon, unsure of what to do with it. Nervous sweat ran down the back of her neck as a million thoughts were running through her head. Her poor mush of a stomach did a back flip as the Furher's expression turned serious.

"It seems you've been doing some investigating on military brass, Major," the Furher spoke.

"Wha?..No!..I mean!" Armstrong had picked up Amy's habit of stuttering, "How did you?"

"Don't take my intelligence network lightly," the authority in the Furher's words made Amy's heart skip another beat, "And Edward Elric. The Philosopher's Stone, was it?"

Amy's eyes widened and her limbs seem to turn to stone. Edward was slightly better under the pressure but the shock was still obvious on his face.

"How much do you know?" the Furher questioned, "Depending on the situation…"

He let his words drift off. The tension in the air was thick as everyone seemed to be holding their breath. It was as if they were waiting for a judge to declare whether they would get the death sentence. They were all staring at the Furherin a nervous shock. Each person wondering their fate. If they would live to see tomorrow. If these were their last moments.

"I was just kidding!" the Furher laughed, "You don't have to be so defensive."

His bark of laughershocked Amy so much that she let her melon slip between her arms. Amy quickly caught it again but the awkward angle at which she had caught the melon caused her knees to give way and fall to the ground. Thankfully everyone was too shocked to pay attention to Amy. She quickly stood up and pretended it never happened.

"Say what?" Ed said looking very confused.

"I also know there are some very disturbing movements within the military," the Furher explained, "And I want to do something about them. However…"

The Furher glanced over at Ed's drawings and picked up a list.

"Ah! That is," Armstrong hurried to explain.

"A list of names of those who worked on the research of the Philosopher's stone before," the Furher cut Armstrong off, "I've investigated this quite thoroughly. All of these people's current whereabouts are unknown."

No one said anything, taking in this new and shocking evidence, and the Furher continued.

"A few days before the Research Institute collapsed," Bradley explained, "The enemy is always one step ahead of us. Even with my network intelligence we presently know nothing of the size or the objectives or how far the enemy has penetrated."

"In other words," Mughes stated, "To conduct a search would be very dangerous, right?"  
"Yes. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. Major Armstrong. Elric Brothers. Scout Kishi." the Furher's voice snapped in them to attention, "I havejudged that you are personnel worthy of being trusted and I will give you an order for the sake of your own safety."

His voice was firm and strict and everyone in the room could sense how serious this situation was.

"I will not permit you to involve any more people in this, nor will I allow you to speak of this to any others," he commanded, "As we don't know who is our enemies and allies, you must not trust anyone! Act as if you believe everyone in the military is your enemy!"

The others didn't move waiting for a final order.

"But!" the Furher continued, "When the time comes, be ready, for I will have you work for me without restraint!

"Sir, yes sir!" Hughes and Armstrong jumped to attention.

Amy quickly jumped to attention as well and accidentally smacked herself in the eye with her hand. Thankfully no one seemed to notice so she tilted her hand so her now-red eye wasn't visible and she balanced the melon with her other hand.

"Sir!" a voice yelled interrupting the moment.

"Where are you Mr. President?" another voice called.

"Argh!" the Furher looked nervous, "Not good! My annoying subordinates have come after me!"

The Furher quickly ran over to the window.

"This is because I snuck out or work. I will go back now," the Furher explained before jumping out the window.

Everyone gasped and ran over. Luckily Ed's room was on the first floor so when they looked out the group only saw the Furher casually strolling away.

"We shall meet again!" the Furher called, "Farewell!"

A long silence followed as they watched the leader of the country walk out of sight.

"_Did the leader of the country and my boss just come to a hospital room, give me a melon, scare me to death, play a prank on me, give me serious orders, and then jump out a window?"_ Amy asked herself, looking at the others shocked faces, "_Yeah, I think he just did."_

"What's wrong with everybody?" Amy heard Winry ask, "The two guys outside were frozen solid."

Amy turned to see Winry in the doorway. She looked a little weirded out, not that Amy would blame her. Amy tried to think of a way to explain what just happened without disobeying her brand new orders. Nothing came to mind. The others had nothing to say either because they were all extremely nervous, confused, and surprised.

"….There was storm…" Ed finally managed to spit out.

Winry shrugged off the weird behavior (she was probably used to it) and held up an envelope.

"Here are the tickets you asked me to get," she said holding up the envelope.

"Oh thanks," Ed's mood brightened instantly.

"You are in a rush," Armstrong noted looking at Ed, "Your wounds have yet to heal."

"I can't stay locked up in a place that smells of medicine forever!" Ed declared, "I'm leaving Central tomorrow!"

"Where are you going?" Hughes inquired glancing at the tickets Winry held up, "Dublith?"

"Where's that?" Winry asked.

"Uhmm," Al said pulling a map out of chest (Amy wondered just what exactly he had in there), "Right in the middle of the south area."

He pointed out a spot on the map. Amy and Winry leaned over to see where he was pointing. Not that this did any good for Amy, she was completely lost in Amestrsis. All she knew was that the country was divided into five areas. Unless you were looking for a major city, such as Central, she was useless.

"Ah!" Winry screamed and stood up.

The scream startled Amy and she almost dropped the watermelon again. Really the fruit was more trouble then it was worth.

"Over here!" Winry pointed frantically at the map, "Right here before Dublith!"

"Rush Valley?" Al read, "What's over there?"

"Rush Valley!" Winry launched into a passionate speech and roses surrounded her, "The holy land of automail mechanics! I've always wanted to go there once!"

"A land of automail?" Amy repeated.

That sounded so cool. Amy knew that there had to be more mechanics then just Winry and her grandmother but a whole valley of them. There were probably lots of different kinds! They probably functioned differently and had different designs! There may even be people from other countries there! Other country automail! That was so cool! Maybe they were even programmed to do cool things! Amy wanted to see that! Maybe someone could even giver her tips! THAT WOULD BE SO COOL!

"Take me! Take me! Take me! Take me!" Winry insisted with sparkles in her eyes and waving her arms around frantically.

Amy could barely contain herself from jumping around too. Rush Valley sounded so cool! There was no place like that in her world! She just had to go!

"Go by yourself!" Ed shot down Winry.

"Who's paying for the trip?" Winry demanded.

"Are you trying to threaten me?" Ed asked.

"Isn't it ok? It is on the way, Brother," Al said keeping his role as the peace maker.

"Oh whatever," Ed gave in.

"Yay!" Winry cheered doing a little dance.

Amy was about to join in but stopped. Wait, was she even going on this trip? Mustang wanted her to travel with the Elric brothers but were those orders still standing. What if they wanted to leaver her behind? What if she was a burden? Besides why were the Elric brothers going to Dublith anyway? They hadn't discovered any clues leading there. Maybe they were going on a vacation? Amy highly doubted that but if that was true she had no reason to go with them.

"Uhmm," Amy interrupted, "Am I going too?"

There was a pause as everyone turned to look at Amy.

"Why wouldn't you? There were three tickets in the envelope," Winry told her.

"Really?" Amy smiled, "Sweet! I'm going to Rush Valley!"

"I can't wait!" Winry cheered, "There's so much I can show you Amy. You were too busy last time but you will certainly lean something in Rush Valley!"

"This is going to be so epic!" Amy joined in with Winry's cheering.

"I'll go call Granny and tell her I changed my plans!" Winry grinned opening the door, "I'll be right back!"

"I'll come with you," Amy followed, "I want to know more about Rush Valley."

The two of them left the room excitedly chatting about automail and what they would see in the land of automail mechanics.

************************************************************************

"Winry seems happy," Al noted as the two girls left the room.

"Yeah she'll make a good wife someday," Hughes patted Ed on the shoulder, "Not as good as mine though."

"DON'T SAY THAT TO ME!" Ed objected, "AND DON'T SNEAK SOMETHING IN ABOUT YOUR OWN LOVE LIFE!"

"Amy seemed happy too," Al pointed out, "I forgot she was a big fan of automail."

"The poor girl has gone through a lot and still little things can make her smile. You should buy her a nice gift," Hughes suggested.

"I agree!" Armstrong declared.

"What? Why me?" Ed protested, "I went through a lot too! There's a giant stab wound in my stomach!"

"It's your fault she's in this situation," Hughes explained, "She did follow you into the Lab."

"She volunteered to go! Amy's smart she knew what she was getting into."

"But Brother you did make her climb down the building and over a wall, not to mention she almost got killed because we weren't able to protect her," Al said being the voice of reason.

"It's not like you stopped her from coming or anything! Besides she went off to look for you yesterday! You two are friends! You get her the gift!"

Al froze as he recalled the events from yesterday. He had been so relieved that his fears were false that he had forgotten about the way he had been acting the past few days. Al had wanted to forget those terrible moments and, by doing that, he had hurt Amy's feelings. A sudden wave of guilt hit Al and he knelt in the corner facing the wall. He began to draw in the dust with his finger as horrible thoughts overcame him. How could he do that? A fight with Amy? Fighting with his brother was one thing, but what if Amy never forgave him? What if she thought he was a horrible person? What then?

"Al," Ed called out to his little brother.

"Brother what have I done?" Al mumbled into his knees.

Al heard Ed's footsteps approaching and saw Ed leaning over him.

"Al, what are you doing?" Ed asked confused.

"Brother, I got into a fight with Amy," Al admitted.

"Is that all?" Ed laughed, "Be glad it wasn't Winry. She would just hit you with her wrench until you couldn't get up."

Al flinched memories of being hit by Winry earlier came floating back into his head.

"But Brother," Al objected.

Before he could get any further however Armstrong decided it was the right moment to but into the conversation.

"A fight you say?" Armstrong rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "When we Armstrongsfight, to apologize we like to give each other flowers."

(Readers stop and picture Armstrong giving flowers to his sister. A giant bouquet of flowers complete with sparkles and a shirtless Armstrong. Now imagine Armstrong doing this same thing to his father. Then imagine him breaking into tears. Scared? Yeah, that's what's running through Ed, Al, and Hughes's heads. Be afraid. Be very afraid.)

There was a silence as the image appeared in everyone's heads. Ed and Al's faces dropped in horror and Ed's eye developed a twitch. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes quickly pulled some pictures out of his pocket and held them in front of his eyes. If Al were to guess he would say the man was trying to wash the image out of his head by replacing it with images of his daughter.

"Do you not think that is a wonderful idea?" Armstrong posed, "All woman love flowers! Amy should be no exception! Soon she shall be irresistible to the Armstrong charms I have taught you!"

"What?" Al asked frantically shaking his head and hands, "No! No! I just want to apologize!"

"Do you lack faith in my Armstrong charms?" Armstrong asked looking at Al with a strange glint in his eyes.

"No! No! It's not that!" Al objected desperately searching for a way out of this situation.

"I think what Al means is that Amy doesn't seem like the flower kind of girl," Ed interjected quickly.

Al nodded his head in agreement.

"I suppose you are right," Armstrong muttered looking thoughtful.

Ed and Al let out a sigh of relief.

"You could give Amy a gift," Hughes suggested, "LIKE THESE DARLING PICTURES OF ELYSIA! WHO COULD STAY ANGRY WHILE LOOKING AT THESE!"

Hughes made cooing noises at his pictures. Ed looked slightly creeped out.

"Look," Ed huffed, "Just go apologize. Amy will forgive you. She's a nice person and will understand."

Al, Hughes, and Armstrong looked at Ed.

"What?" Ed asked not getting why he was being stared at.

"I think that was the nicest thing I ever heard you say about Amy, Brother," Al admitted.

"Yeah, who knew you had it in you."

"THAT IS SO VERY SWEET! EVEN THAT SMALL PHRASE MAKES TEARS COME TO MY EYES!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL?"

* * *

**Omake:**

(Amy is sitting in a small dark cell. Her hands are tied. All of the sudden our favorite green gender bender walks in)

Envy: Muhahaha! See I finally have kidnapped you!

Amy: It doesn't count if I was sleeping!

Envy: Does too!

Amy: Does not!

Envy: Does too!

Amy: Does not!

Envy: Does too! Now be a good prisoner and sit there!

(Silence.)

Amy: So uhmm why did you kidnap me anyway?

Envy: (blushes) Its not like I'm secretly in love with you or anything because that would be totally generic and corny.

Amy: That's good because I don't like you that way.

Envy: What? Why?!

Amy: Well the fact that you can be a boy or girl at will and that you also have psychopathic tendencies throws me off. Also I prefer my dates not to be wearing skirts or be a couple hundred years older then me.

Envy: IT'S A SKORT!

Amy: Okay if you say so uhmm can you let me go now? I want to go back to the hotel before sunrise.

Envy: Are you sure you don't love me?

Amy: Positive.

Envy: If I keep you here will you fall in love with me?

Amy: No but I will get angry.

Envy: You're not going to fall for my sadistic charms, die, and become a sin with a stupid name?

Amy: I wasn't planning to. I'm not in a Mary-Sue mood. We can talk next Omake though.

Envy: Isn't the next chapter the 50th chapter when all entries to the contest are due?

Amy: Yeah Tigger was going to ask for little reminders on who sent stuff in and what people want at the party.

Envy: Will you be my date to the party?

Amy: No, but I will use my non-existent alchemy skills to escape. (Flash of light and Amy is gone)

Envy: Oh no now I am lonely and dateless! (Goes off to eat a gallon of ice-cream while watching chick flicks)


	50. Friendship Matters

Tigger: IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE! IT'S FINALLY HERE!

Ed: What's here?

Tigger: IT'S THE FIFTEETH CHAPTER! I DID IT! I DID IT! (is doing a victory dance)

Ed: You're so weird.

Tigger: Shut up! Now hurry up and help me thank the reviewers so we can get onto the celebration!

Ed: Celebration?

Tigger: Shh! I'm thanking The Sora-muffin, XxWierdchikxX, Ishmari14, animal n anime lover 4ever, the sugar-crazed alchemist, Th3.1.n., arden_anam, Resryk, CakesInTheSummer, Nut and Shell, Moonrise31, YukinoKara, Heartless Nappo, Fuurai, Someone, Undead Artist, Lonelyfairy, Fic Hunter, !!, and 00.

Ed: Now what?

Tigger: Now get into costume and let's go go go!

Ed: Costume?

* * *

Amy was packing her bag the next morning eager to leave for the train. Winry had spent another night at the Hughes household and would meet them at the train station. Her bag had never been unpacked really but Amy had taken some time yesterday to get her clothes washed. Who knew when she would have another chance? She folded the last shirt and placed it in the bag. Betty's medicine and her hammer were already in there. She only left her hat out, hoping to get it fixed before they went on the train. Finished packing Amy closed her bag and sat on her bed.

Winry was going to meet them at the train station with the rest of the Hughes family. Amy had gotten a gift for Elysia yesterday from the gift shop downstairs. It was a cute little pig with big black eyes. Amy almost kept it for herself and brought Elysia something else but then remembered she had to carry everything she owned. Amy missed having a place of her own. A place where she could always return to. Here Amy had nowhere to go. Ed and Al could always return to the Rockbell household but where could Amy go? It would feel like intruding if she went to stay with another family.

"_Don't think that way!" _Amy commanded herself and slapped herself upside the head, "_Focus on automail! Today's goal is to learn as much as possible about automail!"_

In a few hours Amy would be in the greatest place on earth and no that place was not Disneyland. She was going to the holy land of automail! A wonderful place full of metal limbs and the fascinating tools needed to create said metal limbs! Amy couldn't wait! She did a brief victory dance at that thought. Being here sure had its perks. Hey she should totally get the autographs of everyone here. That way she could make photocopies when she got home and sell them on e-bay. She'd be rich! That is if she wasn't going to be locked up in a loony bin first. Oh well that didn't matter right now. She was going to see automail with Winry! Yes, today was going to be a great day.

"Amy," a voice called, "May I come in?"

Amy recognized the voice as Al's. In her ecstatic mood she almost skipped over to the door and let him in, until she remembered the other day. Her mood dropped quickly and Amy scrambled to recover it. It would hurt Al's feelings if she moped around him. It wasn't his fault. He had just been moody. All teenagers get moody, Al was not exception. Yet these facts didn't help Amy's nerves one bit.

"Sure," Amy replied having no idea why her mouth was running without any input from her brain.

Al entered. He had to hunch over slightly to get into her doorway. Unlike Ed's room she lacked double doors and hers were a bit shorter. Not that Amy minded. A smaller room meant less people could hang out in the room and with Amy's emotions being all over the place during the last few days it was best if less people were around her.

"Are you ready to go?" Al questioned.

Amy wasn't entirely sure but Al looked slightly nervous. Amy couldn't be sure though. She was no expert at reading emotions or faces. She recognized when people were angry or upset or sad or happy but it wasn't like she could tell the reason for those emotions by glimpsing at a face. Amy had spent too much time with books that told her exactly how people were feeling.

"All packed," Amy gestured to her bag.

"Brother is packing his things now," Al explained, "When he's done we can go."

"Okay," Amy replied then it felt silent.

"_Awkward"_ Amy's voice said in a singsong voice.

Truly it was very awkward. The air was filled with a weird tension and neither Amy nor Al were looking at each other. They both wanted to say something but seemed unable to. The tension grew and Amy glanced at Al from the corner of her eye. He seemed incredibly nervous and unsure as if he was about to do something that would embarrass him. Amy felt similar she was also incredibly nervous and unsure. How was she supposed to act? Could she pretend as if nothing had happened? How did she normally act? What if she did something wrong? Amy had the sudden urge to run away. It seemed better to avoid this situation altogether then deal with it. Her legs didn't move though it seemed as if they had been glued to the floor.

"_Awkward turtle dying of awkwardness," _a voice in her head said.

Amy thought she was dying of awkwardness. Her thoughts were all over the place. They started, stopped, jumbled together, jumped around her brain, and flipped topics so much that Amy was no longer sure what she was thinking. She was only away of the nervous sweat sliding down the back of her neck and the fact that Al looked just as nervous.

"Amy," Al started.

Amy's neck cracked as she whipped her head to look at Al. How one word could catch her attention so well she would never know.

"I'm sorry about the other day," Al sounded sincere and guilt-ridden.

Amy didn't know what to say. She felt better now that Al had apologized and that he remembered the fight, but what was he apologizing for? For fighting with her? For making her upset? Or for the words he said? Were they true though? Did Al really feel that way about her?

"_If he did he wouldn't be apologizing."_

This thought turned itself over and over again in Amy's mind. It made sense. Why would he apologize if he hated her? If he apologized he must care. He must view her as someone close to him if he cared about her feelings.

"_I'm an idiot."_

No matter how many times Amy had tried to tell herself her feelings weren't hurt it was obvious they were. Denial didn't make things right. Al was her friend, Amy had said that herself, but if Amy was Al's true friend she would have talked to him right away. She should have told Ed about what was happening instead of feeling sorry for herself. She should have stood up for herself and acted like she did around her old friends, but because Al was her hero to her she was more concerned with her hurt feelings. Amy was at fault too.

"At that time I just wanted to hurt your feelings," Al admitted looking ashamed, "I kept thinking that everyone was fooling me and that they were enjoying it. I didn't mean what I said. You're a great person and I know you're trying your hardest to get home."

Amy blushed at the 'great' comment and averted her eyes from Al. She spotted her hat on the bed and smiled slightly. Gingerly she picked up the item and held it out to Al.

"I'll forgive you if you fix my hat," Amy smiled at Al.

************************************************************************

"Bye Elysia!" Amy yelled at the train window.

Elysia was clutching her new toy pig with one arm and reaching out to the train with the other. Tears were streaming down her face as Gracia tried to comfort the small child. Major Armstrong was also crying sparkling tears while giving a final salute. Brosh looked ashamed for Armstrong's sake and Ross politely waved.

"Come bak sisterz," Elysia cried.

"We'll visit again soon," Winry told Elysia.

"Good luck on your journey," Gracia waved to them.

Smoke billowed from the front of the train and Amy could hear the engines roar to life. There was a loud whistle and the train began to move forward. Shouts of 'good-byes' 'come back soon' and 'good luck' reached Amy's ears as the train picked up speed and left the platform behind. Once she could no longer see the station Amy closed the window and leaned back in her seat.

"What are you going to do at Dublith?" Winry asked.

Amy looked at Ed and Al. What were they going to do in Dublith anyway?

"Brother and I talked about a bunch of stuff but we decided to go see our teacher," Al explained.

"Arghh," Ed sighed, "We're definitely going to be killed."

"Killed?" Winry voiced Amy's thoughts, "Just what kind of person is your teacher?"

"Brother I'm scared!" Al said sounding like a frightened child.

"Be strong little brother!" Ed declared, "Be strong!"

Amy started giggling at their reactions and the expression on Winry's face. How the two could seem so mature one moment and so childish the next was amazing.

"Don't laugh!" Ed ordered, "Teacher is no laughing matter!"

Amy continued to laugh.

"You sound so scared!" Amy giggled, "Someone who can frighten the mighty Edward Elric. This I have to see."

"You won't be laughing once you meet teacher!" Ed told her.

Amy just laughed at Ed's serious expression. In her head she was imaging and old gray-haired lady with big round glasses and a ruler. The old lady was even wearing an awful floral dress and was yelling at the two brothers while hitting them with her ruler. This image made Amy crack up so hard she stopped breathing. Al and Ed panicked while Amy thought she saw her life passing before her eyes. Thankfully Winry gave Amy a good thwack on the back and Amy was able to breathe again. Amy gave Winry a tearful hug while thanking her with every god/goddess she knew. Winry smiled bashfully and claimed it was nothing and that it had happened to a friend back home. Ed made some joke about Amy which earned him a thwack to the head with a wrench. Finally they all settled down in their seats.

"What made you want to see your teacher anyway?" Winry questioned.

"We've got two reasons," Ed explained, "One, we've been on a loosing steak lately and we want to get stronger."

"You're going cause you want to get stronger?" Winry sounded as if she couldn't believe her ears "Are you obsessed with fighting?"

"I don't want to just get stronger physically," Ed told her, "I want to get stronger inside too, right?"

"_He wants to have stronger organs?"_ Amy asked herself even though she knew that wasn't what he meant.

"Right, right," Al agreed with his brother.

"I want to get stronger then I am now!" Ed announced looking very serious.

"Yeah," Al also looked very determined, "I feel as if we visit our teacher then we'll get stronger."

"_Is there teacher that amazing a person?"_

"And the second reason?" Winry sighed but had a look of understanding in her eyes.

"To ask our teacher about human transmutation," Ed told them.

"Even though we trained under teacher we never were taught about the Philosopher's stone or human transformation," Al added on.

"Yeah, because getting involved in those means getting involved in a lot of dangerous business," Ed explained, "I thought we could ask teacher directly about human transmutation. I can't worry about how we do things anymore. I'm not afraid to get killed by teacher for asking."

Amy and Winry watched as the life and determination seemed to disparate almost immediately.

"To get killed for asking…." Tears of self-pity began to pour out of Ed's eyes and a dark cloud appeared over his head, "It was a short life wasn't it Al?"

"I wanted to get a girlfriend at least," Al sobbed.

"Fail," Amy muttered with a sweatdrop.

"Oh I almost forgot," Winry reached into her bag, "I have something that will cheer you up!"

Amy watched as Winry dug into the bag and pulled out a box.

"Look apple pie!" Winry said removing the top of the box.

Inside the box there was a crisp, golden brown pie with a nice handkerchief underneath it. A delicious smell drifted out of the box and Amy's thoughts flashed over to days of apple picking and autumn in her home town.

"Wow, looks delicious," Al complimented.

"How'd you get this?" Ed questioned.

"Mrs. Hughes said I should take something on the trip and made this," Winry offered the box.

Ed took a slice and Amy was quite surprised that the piece didn't crumble away to nothing. She always thought pies were supposed to be a big gooey mess and never leave the pan properly.

"But still that's a lot," Ed said inspecting his very deep slice of apple pie.

Winry laughed, "It looks like it was made for four."

"Brother, eat my portion," Al ordered looking very serious.

"Hey!" Ed rebutted, "Are you getting back at me for the hospital, you jerk?"

Winry held the box out to Amy and she took a slice uncertainly. Winry also took a slice and put the box between her and Amy.

"This is good!" Ed said with a mouthful of pie.

"It is!" Winry agreed waiting until after she finished chewing to speak, "Mrs. Hughes is a really good cook."

Amy still stared at the pie. It was sitting in her hand still warm. Nothing gushed out of it sides and it didn't crumple in her hand. The pie seemed to be staring back at her. Amy looked at the treat warily. She didn't like the idea of a dessert staring at her.

"She taught me how to make it so I'll make some for you when your body gets restored, Al," Winry told him much to Al's delight.

"What do you think, Amy?" Winry asked Amy.

Amy looked up from the pie.

"Uhmm," she started but then stopped.

"Why aren't you eating it?" Winry seemed concerned.

Maybe she thought Amy was sick or something. On the contrary Amy felt pretty good. She was sore, yes, but she was fine otherwise.

"It's really good," Ed said before taking another bite.

Amy continued to stare at the pie.

"I've never had pie before," she admitted more to the pie then to anyone else.

Amy looked up to see everyone's shocked expressions.

"Do they not have pies from where you're from?" Al asked confused.

"No, no they have lots of pies, but I've never eaten one," Amy fumbled to explain, "I preferred cookies to pie and where there was pie there were cookies so…"

"Try a bite," Winry encouraged.

Amy glanced at their hopeful expressions and then at the pie. She brought it closer to her mouth and took a huge bite. It tasted like apples but sweet and moist and crunchy all at the same time.

"This is so good!" Amy beamed before taking another bite.

The rest laughed at Amy's new vigor for the pie and continued to eat their own slices.

"I guess this is what you call a mother's touch," Ed said closing his eyes.

"Brother, you sound like an old man," Al pointed out.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hughes and Elysia were really nice people," Winry smiled.

"Elysia is adorable," Amy agreed.

"Mr. Hughes is a daughter-obsessed, photo-fanatic, and overall annoying guy," Ed grumbled.

"But he came to visit you every day," Al pointed out.

"Seriously," Ed grinned, "He always said he had work to do but he came to visit anyway."

"He treats you like family," Amy told them, "He's always so welcoming and nice to you. He makes it seem like your doing him a favor when it's the other way around."

"The next time we go to central I should thank him somehow," Ed spoke sounding very sincere and grateful.

"We all should," Al said to which everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Hey, what's this?" Winry pulled the apple pie box into her lap.

"What's what?" Amy glanced at what Winry was doing.

Winry tugged a piece paper out from under the remainder of the pie. It was in very good condition for having a pie of top of it. It was wrinkly and had steam marks on it but it was still legible. Winry placed the box down and unfolded the paper. Her eyes scanned the page.

"No way," she gasped.

"What?" the rest of the group asked at once and leaned over to see what was on the paper.

* * *

(A lone spotlight shines down on Tigger)

Tigger: For your viewing pleasure may I please present The FullMetal Musical!

(The stage lights up and everyone is on stage. They are all wearing dramatic costumes with bows and tuxedos and sequins and feathery boa things.)

Ed: (is wearing a white tuxedo and top hat) What the hell is this?

Amy: Shut up at least you get to wear pants (Amy is wearing a rather flamboyent purple dress covered with a giant bow and lots of lace)

Al: I like my costume (is wearing cat ears and a tail)

Mustang: When I get my hands on Tigger I'm going to fry her! (is dressed like a monkey and has cymbols glued to his hand so he can't snap)

Tigger: Time to start singing! Our first number is Armstrong and the Armstrongettes!

FullMetal Cast: WHAT?

Armstrong: I will be honored!

(After a number filled with way too many sparkles and ripped shirts)

Tigger: Before I really start this party I would like to announce the winner of the art contest!

Winry: (covered in a ridiculous amount of feathers) Why did I get stuck with this? (hands enevelope to Tigger)

Tigger: (opens the envelope) xWeaselxWolfx! CONGRATULATIONS! Feel free to collect your prize from the table at any time! NOW LET'S GET THIS PARTY STATRTED!

(Music starts playing and the rest of the theather is lit. Instead of chairs there are bean bags and pillows. There is a line of tables covered with loads of food. There are various games such as whack-an-ed and dunk-a-mustang.)

Tigger: So sit back, eat some food, and watch as the Fullmetal Gang gives you a wonderful show! Also every person who has ever reviewed recieves a plastic replica of Amy's hammer and a bag full of cookies! Any person who entered the contest I want to post links to the pictures on my homepage so let me know if I can. Now have fun!


	51. The First Assignment

Tigger: Hola people! This time I wanted to try something different. So I'm going to have the FMA cast, my Ocs, and me answer all your reviews. So here we go!

**Moonrise31**

Amy: Nope, never had pie. It was interesting. I like the crust too though. Maybe because it reminds me of cookies and its crunchy.

Armstrong: Now why would you be scarred for life, my fair lady? The Armstrong muscleness is something to be proud of.

Amy: (twitch) THE SPARKLES THEY BURN!

**fireice alchemist73**

Tigger: The chapter is awesome because I am awesome!

Ed: Since when?

Tigger: STOP RUINING MY MOMENTS ED!

**Resryk**

Al: Amy, what does 'man up' mean?

Amy: Uhmm I think it means to grow a backbone with a masculine tone though.

Winry: It means you should have apologized earlier.

Al: I am sorry about that Amy and I am sorry to the reviewer too.

Amy: That's okay Al. It's hard to stay mad at you.

Al: Uhmm thank you?

**YukinoKara**

Amy: Why does everybody keep commenting on me never eating pie? Is it really that weird?

Ed, Winry, Roy, and Tigger: YES!

**The Sora-muffin**

Amy: BUT I DIDN'T MEAN IT THAT WAY!

Tigger: It's okay Amy. We know you're as innocent as a lamb. I do wish I had an invention to update faster. I think they already have sometihng though. It's called motivation. Something of which I lack. Now if you could invent something to give writers more motivation...

Ed: OW! WHAT'S WITH GIRLS AND INANIMATE OBJECTS?

Tigger: Hi-ya! (hits Ed with a Ti-89) Power to the nerds!

**xWeaselxWolfx**

Tigger: Yes, you won. Sure we can have torture Envy. Next chapter good for you?

Ed: It's not my fault you're short.

Amy: I have a pair of stilts if it will help ease the pain.

Tigger: Or if not, hit Ed with them.

Ed: HEY!

**CakesInTheSummer**

Tigger: Scroll down and you will get your wish.

**TheInkDragonRosette**

Amy: I want to go hide in a corner! What's so wrong about not having pie?

Winry: There. There. It's only a little weird.

Amy: Not helping!

**the sugar-crazed alchemist**

Tigger: Glad you like the hammer. I think it is an awesome weapon.

Ed: It's certainly a weird one at that.

Tigger: Be quiet or face the awkward turtle!

Ed: What the hell is an awkward turtle?

Tigger: Shame on you for not knowing!

Ed: Yeah well you don't own FMA or its charcters and plot.

Tigger: How dare you! Awkward turtle attack! (Giant turtle tackles Ed)

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Ed yelled earning him a few looks from other people at the train station.

Al sighed probably wishing for the forty-second time that morning that his brother was a little less loud. Winry rubbed the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. Amy sighed and looked around. According to the note Hughes had switched their tickets so they got off at the station before their wanted destination. Ed was supposed to investigate a missing person that had stumped the local military force for months. Amy was in charge of writing a report on the town and the investigation Ed was going to do. Oh joy! Sarcasm at its best.

"I wanted to see the automail," Amy complained.

She could practically feel the chibi tears forming at the corner of her eyes. Automail was so cool and amazing but now she would have to wait to see it.

"_Automail! I WAS SO CLOSE!!!!"_ Amy's inner voice cried.

Winry was disappointed too. She had never seen the Holy Land of Automail either. Sure she worked with automail every day but Rush Valley was Rush Valley! Amy would understand completely if Winry hopped the next train to Rush Valley and left the others behind; it wasn't like she needed to be here. That wouldn't happen though Amy knew that Winry was too loyal to leave them behind, but she probably would force Ed to work as fast as possible.

"Brother the faster we get this done the sooner we can go," Al pointed out to his supposedly older brother.

Amy sent a silent thank you to Al. It was at times like this she was glad that he had matured at such a young age. Al was the responsible one and Ed was the reckless one. It was strange, their positions should have been reversed, but that was the way it was. Ed was Ed and Al was Al. If they ever did change personalities Amy could imagine the hundreds of fangirls that would die from shock, herself included. Ed being mature? That wouldn't happen in a million years and if it did happen it would end the moment someone called him short.

"Fine," Ed grumbled.

"Finally," Winry muttered quietly.

They gathered their bags and headed out of the small station. Amy blinked as they emerged outside and sunlight hit her eyes. When her eyes adjusted she was able to see the town. It was mostly composed of houses and stores that sat in rows next to each other. The houses had patched roofs, colored shudders, and were two stories tall. Even the stores did not vary much in style, but there was a homely atmosphere. Amy felt protected like no harm could come to her. She felt that she could walk up to any person on the street and have a nice chat. There was no reason for her to feel this way but Amy just did. She trusted this place instinctively.

************************************************************************

"Bored," Winry said from her spot on the bench.

"Moi aussi," Amy agreed.

Winry gave Amy a look which clearly read that Amy should speak English-Amestrian-whatever wasn't French or be quiet.

"I mean me too," Amy quickly translated, Winry could be scary when annoyed.

Ed had decided the best way to figure out what was going on was to split up. He and Al had gone to the military headquarters in this town to ask for an official report. Amy and Winry were supposed to go around town and get some information from the townsfolk. In other words, they had been ditched. Winry and Amy had soon discovered that neither of them knew anything about gathering information. Winry was too blunt and Amy, well Amy became tongue-tied.

"What should we do now?" Winry asked looking at Amy.

"I don't know," Amy replied nervously.

She really had no idea what to do. The first time she imagined doing this she imagined being with Ed and Al. They had done this before and they were more confident then her. A shy girl who prefers books to people was not the best person for a scout. Winry grumbled next to Amy. They had been sitting on the bench for a while. Ed said he would meet them at this diner they had passed earlier. Their meeting time was set for five, which was another hour and a half from now. A sudden grumbling sound cut Amy's thought process off. She looked down at her stomach. Winry giggled at her bewildered expression.

"Has your stomach never growled or something?" Winry laughed.

Amy flushed and willed her stomach to shut up.

"No I mean of course it has but," Amy struggled to not sound stupid in front of her hero, "I just didn't realize I was hungry."

"We can go eat now if you want," Winry offered, "I'm kind of hungry too."

"Okay as long as you don't mind," Amy agreed.

"I don't," Winry told her getting up from the bench and stretching, "Come on we'll make Ed pay for the food when he gets there. That will teach him never to ditch us again."

Amy could practically see the money signs in Winry's eyes. Ed's wallet was definitely going to be lighter by the end of this trip.

************************************************************************

Amy and Winry sat at a table at the Brookdale Café. It was a small place that was popular amongst the locals. Wood and brightly colored clothes seemed to be the theme here, but it gave the place a quaint feel. At four in the afternoon there was close to no customers except for two or three people who were having coffee. Amy was sitting next to Winry sipping her water. Winry had ordered the food because Amy was completely inept when it came to what to eat.

"AMELIA?" a voice gasped loudly.

Amy turned her head to see what was going on but was engulfed in someone's arms.

"GAH!" Amy yelped as she felt her lungs squeezed.

"AMELIA! YOU'RE BACK! I KNEW YOU WEREN'T DEAD!" the voice yelled while squeezing Amy, "NUT, AMY'S BACK!"

Amy's mind was in panic mode. She had absolutely no idea what was going on! Her heart was beating out of her chest and her mind was racing. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind so fast she could barely comprehend them. Who was this person? Why were they hugging her? Who the heck was Amelia? Who's Nut? Nuts! Yes this situation was certainly nuts! This had to be one of the most awkward embarrassing confusing moments Amy had ever experienced! It was even worse then being hugged by Armstrong! At least Amy knew who Armstrong was! This person was a complete stranger!

Winry looked just as bewildered as Amy felt. She stared up at Amy who was lifted off the ground by the person hugging her. Clearly she had no idea how to react and neither did Amy! What did one say in this situation? What was she supposed to do? Any sort of protest had died in Amy's mouth, being all too shocked to utter a word.

The sound of footsteps could be heard and then Amy's vision went as someone placed something over her eyes.

"Amelia!" a second voice, this one sounded more masculine, "I can't believe it you're back!"

"We missed you!"

"The whole town's been looking for you!"

"They thought you were dead!"

The two continued to confuse befuddle Amy. Obviously they had confused her for someone else, and this action in itself was confusing. Never in her life had Amy ever been confused for someone else. Now she was in a totally different world, wearing clothes that wouldn't be made for another century, considered a foreigner, and she was involved in a case of mistaken identity.

"_I wonder just who they mistook me for?" _

"Hey," Winry butted in, "Would you mind putting my friend down?"

There was a pause and Amy felt herself being placed on the ground. Quickly she tore the object off her head and ran for cover behind Winry. Once her heart had settled down slightly she peaked out from behind Winry. Two people stood in front of her. One was a boy with brown hair and blue eyes and the other was a girl with the same hair color and green eyes. Both of them were rather tall, they were easily about half a foot (fifteen centimeters) taller then her. They were wearing identical aprons with the store's name and logo embroidered on the white material.

There was a long awkward silence as the group looked at each other.

"So Amelia, who's your friend?" the guy asked.

"Uhmm," Amy spoke up shyly, "My name is Amy, not Amelia."

************************************************************************

"I'm sorry it's just that you look exactly like our friend Amelia," Shell apologized.

"It's alright," Amy said poking at her meal.

After the whole incident had been sorted out the two had joined them at the table. They had introduced themselves as Nut and Shell, which were rather odd names. Amy found out soon enough that they were really nice people and quite normal when they didn't mistake you for a long lost friend. Winry had befriended them rather quickly and Amy had taken a shine to them too.

"Sorry it's that you really look just like her," Nut continued, "Same hair. Same eyes. Same everything. Well except the accent."

"Does she really look that much like her?" Winry asked before taking another bite out of her food.

"They could be twins," Shell replied.

"How long has your friend been missing for?" Amy inquired eager to change the topic.

Being compared to a complete stranger was actually really awkward and was an experience Amy would try to avoid as much as possible in the future.

"A little over a month now," Nut explained, "She was a student under some alchemist here. He taught her alchemy and she helped him with his research."

"She's actually from another town somewhere northwest of here," Shell added.

"Yeah she came over here all by herself about ten months ago," Nut went on, "Apparently she had learned about the alchemist through some article in the newspaper and travelled out here by herself so that she could learn."

"That was admirable of her," Winry commented.

"I think it took all of her courage," Shell admitted, "She never was very outgoing."

"Amelia did make friends here though. She came to visit us at least once a day."

"So a month ago she just stopped?" Amy asked.

"She just disappeared," Nut explained, "One day she was here and the next she was gone. For a week no one saw her or heard from her. Finally the military got involved, but when they asked her teacher he said that he hadn't seen her either."

"There was a huge investigation, but in the end they had no leads."

"Most figure she was killed and buried, never to be seen or heard from again."

Amy swallowed hard. For some reason those last words got to her. Besides, the entire conversation reminded her of a bad horror movie or a cliché cop film. It was made even creepier when said missing person was supposed to be identical to her in almost every way. Stuff like that was supposed to be a bad sign especially in movies and books.

"Her teacher was always the number one suspect though," Nut said not noticing Amy's silence, "Never could prove anything though."

Amy glanced at Winry to see her frowning in silence. Winry must have disliked this topic as much as Amy. Then again this topic couldn't have been comfortable for anyone. Who wants to talk about missing girls who may or may not have gotten kidnapped by their teacher?

"_I wonder what kind of guy this teacher is,"_ Amy pondered.

An awkward silence fell on the group. No one knew what to say or how to proceed. Amy went back to picking at her food and Winry looked nervously from person to person. Just when the silence had been drawn out as long as anyone could bear there was a loud bang as the door was swung open.

"FOOOOOOOD!" Ed roared as he bounded into the restaurant.

In the blink of an eye, Ed was sitting at their table gulping down the bread from the breadbasket. Al walked into the café next.

"Brother," Al cried out exasperatedly, "I though I told you not to run off."

"I was hungry," Ed told him stuffing another piece of bread into his mouth.

"You could have waited until the Sergeant finished his speech," Al reprimanded him.

"He was boring," Ed said simply before calling a waitress over and ordering what Amy and Winry were eating.

"Brother you shouldn't talk about people like that," Al sighed and took a seat next to his brother.

"Hey Al," Amy greeted him.

"Ed, chew your food before you swallow!" Winry berated the shorter Elric and slapped him on the back of the head.

Ed gave her an evil glare and swallowed the food in his mouth. Then he turned his attention to Winry and the two began to bicker.

"I'll never get how someone so small could eat so much," Amy muttered as she swirled some food around her fork.

Al shrugged his shoulders and the two continued to watch Winry and Ed argue about various topics. The arguing was interrupted by Nut and Shell who, up to this point, had been silent since Ed entered.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be the Elric Brothers would you?" Nut asked.

"Yeah we are," Ed replied lifting his chin up so that people could stare at his famousness.

Well, Ed probably wouldn't have used those words to describe his actions but that's basically what he did. Whether Ed would admit or not he liked being famous. He liked the fact that people always talked about the amazing FullMetal Alchemist and his wonderful deeds. What Ed did not like was being mistaken for the younger brother because he was short.

"You must be the FullMetal Alchemist!" Shell said excitedly while pointing at Al, "It's nice to meet you."

"Actually," Al began but was interrupted by Ed.

"I'm the FullMetal Alchemist!" Ed pointed at himself, "He's my younger brother."

"_I know where this is going,"_ Amy mentally sighed preparing herself for Ed's short rant.

There was a pause as Nut and Shell stared at Ed.

"Oh," was all Nut said.

"You're uhmm," Shell seemed to be looking for the right words, "smaller then we expected."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE CAN BE SQUASHED BY AN ANT?" Ed roared while leaping onto the table and pointing at the two servers.

"Sit," Winry ordered, smacking Ed with her trusty wrench.

Ed fell backward into his seat with a nice red bump on his forehead. Nut and Shell looked at each other and then back at Ed unsure of how to react. Al sighed and began to scold his brother while Winry went back to eating.

Amy found it amazing how quickly she had gotten used to the antics of the Elrics and Winry. Most likely it was because she knew their habits before she met them, but even then it was kind of shocking to see it in person. She was actually really surprised that Ed's head hadn't cracked open by this point. Winry's wrenches were heavy and she swung them with speed and strength. Then again Ed was Ed, the boy with metal limbs and a stomach that rivaled Gluttony's.

The waitress came over and brought Ed his food. Al started up a conversation with Nut and Shell and Winry lectured Ed on his eating habits. Amy watched the group as they conversed. It all looked so normal but it wasn't. These people were supposed to be anime characters but they were here. They were her friends. She watched as they smiled, laughed, and ate. Her friends. Suddenly Amy felt a jolt. It was like she received a giant static shock. She gasped and froze. Everything around her looked like it did in her world. She saw her old face staring back at her from the glass. Before Amy could make heads or tails of what was happening she blinked and everything returned to its normal semi-anime looking self.

"_What the heck was that?"_

* * *

Tigger: Any thoughts about what's going on guys? Anyone?

Edward: AHHHHHHH! (goes running past with giant turtle chasing after him)

Amy: I don't know why he is running so fast. It's only a turtle.

(Turtle zooms by on rollar skates)

Winry: Turtles can skate?

Amy: I guess.

Tigger: Hmm he picked it up faster then I thought he would.

Al: Should I ask?

Amy: I really don't want to know.

Winry: Me neither.

Tigger: Anyway reviewers we will be having an Envy torturing! So send in your ideas! Also next chapter will be around Halloween. SO I DEMAND YOU WEAR COSTUMES WHILE TORTURING ENVY! GET IN THE SPIRIT FOLKS!

Amy: I think we should hide come next chapter.

Winry and Al: (nod their heads in agreement)

Ed: (runs past again) DAMN YOU TIGGER!

(Turtle does a backflip and then keeps going)

Tigger: You have to admit. That turtle has style.


	52. Amy Meets A Bishie

Tigger: I got the chapter to upload!!!! Sorry Fanfiction was being evil. I meant to update the other day but the gods were obviously aganist me. Now you may be asking where I, Tigger, have been for the past few months but do you really want to know?

Amy: I think they do.

Tigger: Nah. I think they want to read a chapter and then go onto Envy torturing!

Amy: You should at least explain why.

Tigger: Nope they don't want to know.

Amy: It would be polite.

Tigger: Fine. Well you see my laptop cord broke which meant no laptop for months and then I broke my foot and when your foot is facing the wrong way you have other things on you mind then fanfiction. Now can we please go onto the long awaited chapter?

Amy: What about the disclamier?

Tigger: I have no idea what you are talking about.

Ed: TIGGER DOES NOT OWN FMA OR ANYTHING RELATED TO IT EXCEPT FOR SOME FAN ITEMS WHICH SHE BROUGHT LEGALLY AND HAS NO RIGHTS OVER THEM!

Tigger: DAMN YOU ED! GET BACK HERE!

(Chases after Ed)

Amy: What do we do now?

Al: Prepare for the Envy torturing?

Amy: Sure why not?

* * *

"Excuse me miss are you okay?"

Amy looked up to see a handsome young man looking at her in concern. He had dark brown hair and bright green eyes. His eyes seemed to sparkle and his voice was smooth and deep. He was long and lean and very appealing to the eyes. Amy felt herself blushing just looking at him.

"_IT'S A BISHIE!" _her inner fangirl screamed, "_A BISHIE! LIKE TAMAKI OR KURAMA OR SESSHOMARU! MUST TAKE PICTURE!"_

Quickly Amy pushed all those thoughts to the back of her mind. Her face felt like it was on fire and she finally understood while all those anime girls blushed so much. She said something along the lines of 'I'm fine' and 'Sorry', but it mostly came out as an embarrassed squeak. She covered her face with her hands and glanced up at him.

"Amelia?" the man asked.

His question caught the others' attention. Nut quickly jumped up and pointed an accusing finger at the man.

"I thought I told you to stay away from here!" he yelled, causing the other diners to look over.

"Ah, but this is not your restaurant," the man pointed out unaffected by Nut's yelling.

"Just get out," Shell hissed at him.

The man glanced around seeing the unfriendly faces.

"My apologies I mistook you for someone else," the man apologized.

He then left quickly. Nut and Shell glared about him until he was out the door. Amy sat in her seat confused and blushing.

"Brother wasn't that man the number one suspect for our case?" Al questioned Ed.

"Yeah," Ed said in a serious tone, "He was, Al."

Winry blinked and then something seemed to click in her mind.

"Doesn't that mean he was your-look-a-like's teacher?" she asked Amy.

* * *

Winry had explained to Ed and Al what Nut and Shell had told them. Amy had spent most of that time in a stupefied trance. She had considered a suspect for murder hot! Wasn't that a sin or something? When she got back to her world she was running to the nearest religious center and praying to every deity for forgiveness. If there was such a thing as heaven Amy wanted to be on the safe side.

Ed had told them what he and Al had discovered. Basically it was the same thing except with a bit more details such as the exact time and date she had last been seen. Al had confirmed the fact that Amy's 'bishie' was the number one suspect, but there was no evidence to link him to anything. His name was Milo Obert and he had moved into the town two years ago. Any details about him before his move were either nonexistent or very vague.

Feeling very guilty and somewhat frightened, at least on Amy's part, Amy and the others finally left the restaurant. Nut and Shell apologized once again and enthusiastically told them to come again any time.

"What happens now?" Winry inquired as the door shut behind them.

"We do what we were hired to do," Ed replied.

"How?" Winry asked.

Amy perked up to listen. This was her job too. Well actually her job was to write the report speaking of which she should ask for the format the report needed to be in…. Amy blinked. One moment one crowd of people was standing in front of her and the next it was an entirely different crowd. A few of the people were the same but they were different clothing and doing other tasks. Her head swiveled towards the shops lining the streets.

"It's quiet," she whispered.

It felt like something in her brain was shoved and suddenly everything was the same way it was when Amy had left the shop. No one had changed outfits and the people milling the streets were the same people who had been there two minutes ago.

"_What's going on?" _Amy asked herself, beginning to panic, "_Am I seeing things?"_

"What do you mean Amy?" Al asked.

"Huh?" Amy was still a little out of it due to what she just experienced.

For a few seconds it felt like she wasn't entirely in control of herself. What was going on? Why was she seeing weird stuff? What was that shove in her brain? This was her second out of body experience in less then an hour. What could be causing this? Had someone drugged her drink? Put something weird in her food?

"_Maybe this world is rejecting me."_

She was being rejected from this world? What? But she had been here for a month, why now? That couldn't be it, right? Amy's thoughts went wild as her brain came up and threw out theories faster then the speed of light. What could be happening? How would this affect her and her ability to get home? Would this affect anyone else?

"_Someone stop the world I want to get off!"_ Amy's brain cried as a headache began to form.

"Amy. Amy. Tomboy klutz." Ed waved his hand in front of Amy's face.

Amy snapped out of her thoughts, "What?"

Ed gave her a curious look and then pointed towards Al. Amy quickly remembered Al's question and flushed at her spacing out.

"I mean that it seems like there should be more people," she explained.

Actually Amy really had no idea why she said that. Something told her that this place should be a lot nosier.

"There used to be a wind chime store on the corner," a voice interrupted, "all of the children used to gather around and listen."

Amy turned towards the source of the new voice and found herself face to face with Milo Obert. He was leaning against the wall of some building with his arms crossed over his chest. Once he made himself known, he straightened up and walked over to the group.

"I'm afraid we did not meet on the best of terms," Milo apologized with sincerity, "The people of this town are suspicious of me since Amelia's disappearance."

While speaking Milo's gaze had drifted to Amy. He was obviously waiting for a response from her. Amy, on the other hand, was mortified. Her brain had packed up its bags and left her there. She simply didn't know what to do or say. Her emotions were all over the place. They were up and down and left and right and east and west and…. Thankfully, Winry came to Amy's rescue.

"The person you confused with our friend Amy?" Winry asked, intentionally putting emphasis on Amy's name.

"Yes, I feel dreadful about that," Milo said.

Amy's brain was still in a numb shock at being addressed by a maybe murderer whose victim was identical to her.

"That's alright!" Ed replied cheerily while reaching out to shake Milo's hand.

Milo took Ed's right hand and gave him a small smile.

"I'm Ed, this is my brother Al, and this is our friend Winry," Ed introduced, never dropping his grain for a second, "We're travelers."

"Oh, have you been to many places," Milo asked, "I used to be quite the traveler myself."

"Here and there," Ed eluded, "We like to travel off the beaten path. Quiet towns like these attract our attention."

"I understand," Milo nodded his head in agreement.

By this point it was obvious Ed was lying. Besides the fact that Amy knew the information was false, Ed had that glint in his eye. It was the same glint he always had when he was pulling the wool over someone's eyes. The grin was another hint. For some reasoning Ed always wore his trademark grin when he tricked people. The question wasn't if he was lying, but why?

"You seem to know this town very well," Al added, "Perhaps you can show us where our hotel is."

"That should be easy enough," Milo chuckled, "There's only one hotel in town. It's run by Mr. and Mrs. Snider. I can take you there now."

"That's very generous of you," Ed commented, "I heard from the townsfolk that you're a researcher. You have to be very busy."

"Yes, but I'm also my own boss so I think I can give myself a break," Milo replied wittily.

Ed and Al continued to chat with Milo as he led them to their hotel. Winry strayed a little bit behind the threesome with Amy. Amy's mind how come back so she was no longer in numb shock. Instead Amy was very nervous and felt out of place. She had no idea how to act or what to say. When they finally did arrive at the hotel Amy was relieved. She had no desire to spend any more awkward moments with the man who could or could not be a murderer.

"See you around," Ed clapped Milo on the back enthusitcally and headed towards the front door of the hotel.

"Good night," Al said politely, following his older brother's example.

"Thanks for showing us the way," Winry chirped.

Amy, having no idea what to say, nodded her head and raced after the Elric brothers.

"Wait," Milo called out.

Unwillingly Amy halted. She couldn't help herself. It was basic societal instinct to stop when someone asked you too. It was one of those concepts like saying 'please' and 'thank you.' He had asked Amy to stop and so she did. Altogether a rather stupid move on Amy's part.

Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. Goosebumps appeared on her arms and Amy resisted the urge to shiver. Being touched by Milo was like being touched by an iceberg. Nervously Amy turned to look at Milo. She didn't say anything or make any other movements. For some reason her brain had stopped sending orders, whether it was due to the shivers she was receiving or Milo's looks she couldn't tell.

"I feel awful about before," Milo apologized, "Let me take you out to dinner tomorrow to make up for it."

Thoughts flew through Amy's mind at light speed. She should yell at him for using such a cheesy line. No she should step away, he gives off bad vibes. She had never been asked on a date before. She should run inside before things get worse. That was considered a date invitation right? No she should be running away in terror. No she should yell at him. No she should make up an excuse. No she should faint and then she wouldn't have to respond. No she should move to Alaska. Wait there was no Alaska in this world.

"She would love to," a voice jerked Amy from her thoughts, "Pick her up here at five tomorrow."

Amy spun around to see Ed. He had been standing next to the front door watching the whole scene. Now he was making his way down the steps towards her. A sense of dread filed her as Amy recognized the grin of Ed's face. This could only spell trouble for her. Amy's head whipped around to see Milo's reaction. He had a brilliant smile on his face. Amy opened her mouth to say no, to say that Ed was kidding, but Milo stopped her before the words could leave her mouth.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation Amy," Milo bowed to her, "I will be here tomorrow evening to escort you."

With that Milo turned and walked away.

* * *

That had been an hour ago. At first Amy had stood in another dumb struck stupor for ten minutes. Al managed to make her talk but all she spit out was nervous nonsense about dating and serial killers. Winry had finally had enough of Amy's nonsense so she whacked Amy on the head and dragged her to their hotel room. The smack did Amy good. She was able to breathe and relax until she remembered she had a date with a possible killer thanks to Ed. And that was how Amy came to be in her current situation, which was freaking out.

"ED HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?!" Amy demanded shaking Ed by the front of his shirt, "WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN GOING THROUGH YOUR LITTLE MIDGET MIND WHEN YOU ACCEPTED FOR ME?!"

Amy was furious. How could Ed do that to her? How could he set her up with a possible murderer? Did he ever think things though? How dare he accept the invitation for her! Sure she had been standing there like some statue but still…. Ed had no right to do that! Wasn't she in deep enough shit as it was? Why was he adding more problems to her list? Why? Why? Why? Why?! She had a friend who was turned into a suit of armor, a serial killer on the loose, a military she had to lie to, a group of homunculus in the background somewhere, and she had to fine a way back to her dimension! Yet Ed felt it was necessary to set her up with some random guy who she hadn't managed a decent sentence to yet! Didn't she have enough to deal with?!

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TI NY THAT HIS BRAIN IS THE SIZE OF A MARBLE?"

"I THINK YOUR BRAIN IS EVEN SMALLER THEN THAT!"

"STOP IT!" Winry screeched.

All noise inside the hotel room ceased. Every eye was watching Winry warily as she glared and held her wrench tightly.

"You're both acting like idiots!" Winry scolded, "Amy, I'm sure Ed has his reasons for setting you up with a suspect in a case. Right, Ed?"

Winry asked that last part while cracking her knuckles menacingly and giving him an evil eye. Ed gulped and avoided direct eye contact.

"I do. I do." Ed reassured her.

Winry raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Ed decided it was the perfect moment to reveal his thoughts, before Winry decided to hit him upside the head.

"Amy," Ed said seriously, "This guy is smart. Al and I have seen his report. He isn't an ordinary criminal. He's covered his tracks well. The only thing that makes him a suspect is the suspicion of the townspeople. They have no proof."

Amy nodded, signaling that she understood what Ed said so far.

"To pin him as the murderer we need evidence or a confession," Ed continued, "Milo is smart enough not to give either of those willingly though. That's where you come in."

Amy frowned in confusion. How was she related to this case at all?

"You look identical to Ameila, so Al and I came up with a theory. There must have been a reason Amelia was made to disappear. We figure that if Milo saw you, he would crack."

"What do you mean by crack?" Amy asked suspiciously, "Spill-his-guts-in-confusion-crack or go-mental-and-try-to-kill-me-crack?"

Ed shrugged, "Either would work."

"THAT'S NOT THE ANSWER I WANTED TO HEAR!" Amy yelled.

She wanted to hear the first option. That way she was less likely to die. Ed had basically told her there was a fifty percent possibility of her being killed! AND HE WAS BEING NONCHALANT ABOUT IT! Maybe he liked life threatening situations but Amy disliked them with a passion. Amy did not want to be killed! She wanted the possibility of that to be zero percent! Not fifty percent chance of being killed tomorrow night! Tomorrow night. She had time right? She could always catch a train out of town. Winry and her could go to Rush Valley. Ed and Al could meet them there after they solved this case, WITHOUT HER BEING ALMOST POSSIBILY KILLED!

"It's okay Amy," Al tried to placate her, "We're going to follow you the whole evening and we'll make sure nothing happens."

He put his hand on Amy's shoulder in a comforting motion. Amy looked up at Al's sincere face. She trusted Al, she really did, but still….

"My first date is going to be spent as bait for murderer," Amy moaned burying her head in her hands.

This was not how she imagined her first date. Actually Amy had never imagined her first date at all. But if she had imagined it, it would have been different then this, of that she was sure.

"First date?" Al repeated.

There was a loud 'twack' and both Amy and Al looked over at Ed. Winry was standing over the blond boy with her wrench held menacingly. Ed had a huge bump on his head and was lying on the ground.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" he demanded once he recovered.

"A girl's first date is special!" Winry glared at Ed and pointed her wrench at him, "You can't make Amy give it up so you can solve the case the easy way! Go break into his house or something! Find some evidence!"

"Breaking into someone's house is illegal," Al pointed out.

Winry pretending not to hear Al and continued her rant.

"All girls dream of their first dates just like how they dream about their wedding days! To ruin that is to ruin a girl's dream and I will not let you do that!" Winry declared stabbing Ed in the chest with her 'weapon'.

Ed was smart and took a few steps back and pushed Winry's wrench aside gently.

"Look," he said trying to calm down the angry girl, "It won't be anything special. They'll go out to eat, maybe take a walk and we'll keep watch the entire time. At some point Milo will accidently let something slip and then we'll jump in and arrest him."

"That or he'll try TO STAB ME!"

Winry and Amy shot Ed death glares. Ed took another step back and held his hands up in surrender. Then he froze. Amy could practically see the idea forming. The tell tale smirk appeared and Ed turned to Winry.

"I'll give you money to buy Amy's date outfit with," Ed offered.

Winry continued to glare.

"I also promise we won't be more then ten meters away at all times."

Winry's wrench lowered a little.

"I would never let something happen to her you know that," Ed said softly.

Winry lowered her wrench and looked a little bit guilty.

"Amy knew what she signed up for when she joined the military, just like we did. She'll be fine."

Winry was obviously wavering. It looked like she was about to give in, but a glance at Amy's desperate face made her anger return slightly. A minute passed in agonizing silence and then Ed spoke.

"I'll also buy you anything you want from Rush Valley."

"Sold!" Winry cried cheerfully.

She shook Ed's hand to seal the deal and sparkles appeared in her eyes. Winry did a twirl and began to hum a little song about all the things she planned to buy. Ed looked triumphant and smirked confidently at Amy.

"I was sold out for automail!" Amy gaped.

She had thought she and Winry were friends! How could Winry choose automail over Amy's first date? Didn't she just make a whole speech about first dates? Where did that all go?

"For automail," Amy repeated, "I was sold out for automail."

"Yep!" Winry sung while twirling past.

* * *

Tigger: (in a whisper) Okay Sora, fireice, Weasel, Silver, Yukino, Wandering, Moonrise, InkDragon, sugar-crazed, Lonelyfairy, pknuma, myst, , delciosuly hyper, wierdchik, kiddy, Nut and Shell. You're with me.

(She hands them all iron boots)

Tigger: Put them on when we reach the top.

Sora: The top of what?

Tigger: That. (Points at a very tall sckyscraper)

Fireice: Oh. That.

Tigger: Come on.

(All quietly sneak away.)

Meanwhile...

Amy: Okay eveyone we have been drafted as the unfortunate task of bait. Your job is to insult envy, maybe throw some stuff at him and run. Envy is a he right?

Violentkitty: It is implied that Envy is a he.

Kumori: But he switches genders.

Lizzy: Then Envy is a he when disguised as a boy, a she when a girl, and an it for the rest of the time.

Amy: I guess that makes sense. Oh wait here he comes.

(Ency comes strolling along, minding his own buisness, doing whatever it is that palmtrees do in their free time.)

Amy: Fire!!

Shadow: You're the ugliest plant I've ever seen! (Throws a cactus at Envy)

Eryn: YouSeeing you makes me want to gaue my eyes out! (Throws spoons at him)

Dragon260: I hope you're alot brighter then your hair color! (Throws neon paint all over him)

EdwardElriclover22: Ed is so better then you! (Throws an Ed plushie)

Cwizumi: Humans rule! (Throws rocks at Envy)

Dreamerlisa12: Eat dirt! (throws dirt)

flamealchemist1: Fire! (takes our flamethrower)

birdzilla: If that's you're cute form, I'd hate to see your ugly one. (throws tomatoes)

Miley02: Eat pie! (Throws a pie)

Ishmari: Vile creature!

Miyu:Disgusting!

Nao: You're a crazy nut head!

Surbette: Disturbing!

White Wing: Mental!

lyoko: Jealous!

Kit: Idoit!

kittykumi: The Elrics can kick your ass!

dot: Mustang will marry before you become pretty!

Otaku: Did we mention that you were ugly?

Amy: And you'll never catch us alive!

(All run for the giant skyscraper as Envy chases after them yelling stuff not apprioprate for this rating. All of them manage to squeeze into the elvator and the doors slam shut before Envy gets there. The elevator shoots up super fast and opens on the roof of the building.)

Amy: (stumbles out) I don't feel so well. Everyone hide quickly.

(Envy jumps out from the elevator shaft which he climbed up with his claws. The ground shakes with the intensity)

Tigger: Now!

(Tigger, Sora, fireice, Weasel, Silver, Yukino, Wandering, Moonrise, InkDragon, sugar-crazed, Lonelyfairy, pknuma, myst, , delciosuly hyper, wierdchik, kiddy, Nut and Shell jump out with iron boots on and kick Envy. He goes flying off the building and crashes into the ground)

Weasel: That is a long way down.

Silver: And look at the size of that crater.

Yukino: Is that a little boy poking him?

Wandering: The little boy is dragging him away.

Moonrise: I wonder what he's going to do with him.

Inkdragon: Anyway want cookies?

All: Yes!

(They all walk away to get cookies as Envy is tortured by kindergartners who feed him cookies while singing badly.)


	53. Dating is Bad for the Health

Tigger: I finally got some creative juices flowing. It's kind of short but I thought I left it off with a lot of suspense.

Ed: One of your reviewers is going to stab you one day.

Tigger: I know. Please bury me with my manga when you do.

Al: They won't really stab you, will they?

Tigger:....I hope not

Amy: They can't stab you through a computer Tigger.

Tigger: Hey you're right! In that case I will thank all my reviewers. So thanks to xWeaselxWolfx, howling wolf mika, flame alchemist1, IceFire Dragon Alchemist73, Goldenfightergirl, BAYALE, Ishmari14, TheInkDragonRosette, The Sora-muffin, BIRDZILLA, Mudheart, Lonelyfairy, Psychotic Pyro Fairy, Wandering Hitokiri, the sugar-crazed alchemist, NAO-chan33, Devonlizz, Shining Ducky, , Saruhno, Moonrise31, JHelqvest, Cap'n BunBun, and Nut and Shell.

Amy: That's alot.

Tigger: YEP NOW ONTO THE CREEPY HORROR CHAPTER I WROTE!

Amy: Wait..WHAT?

* * *

Somehow before Amy knew it, it was time for her date. The past twenty hours were all a blur. All she had done was worry and hope this day would never come. That the earth would just stop spinning or that time would freeze, but that didn't happen. Instead time seemed to race by so everytime she looked at the clock another hour had passed. Amy thought she had slept, eaten, written part of her report, but she couldn't be sure. She was sure she showered though (she smelled clean) and she was positive Winry had taken her shopping (this certainly wasn't her outfit).

At one point Amy had dreamed. Whether she was awake or sleeping when the dream occurred was a mystery to her. It had been similar to the one at the hospital except this time the girl was more frantic. She kept screaming to watch her back. But that moment had passed and Amy had suddenly found herself doing something else and another hour was down the drain.

Amy had then started praying for something to happen. For Milo to turn himself in. For the police to find some evidence. For the homunculi to show up and attack so she wouldn't have to go. For them to find the Philosopher's stone. For a portal back to her world to open up right next to her. But none of that happened. It had been a perfectly normal day with a guy with two missing limbs, a soul in a suit of armor, and an automail mechanic.

Now she was standing outside the hotel. Ed and Al were no where to be seen and Amy was beyond nervous. Petrified. Terrified. Scared stiff. Those were all excellent ways to describe her current mood. Her palms were sweaty, her mind was racing, and she just wanted to run away as fast as possible. Amy glanced at the clock in the window display across the street. It was 4:59. If he wasn't here by 5:01, Amy was bolting. She didn't care what Ed said or the deal Winry had made. She did not want to be here!

"_Why am I here anyway?"_ Amy asked herself.

"_Two words,"_ her mind replied, "_Guilt trip."_

Amy clenched her (technically Winry's) purse tighter. Damn Ed! Damn him and his persuasion skills. And damn Al for being the voice of reason!

"You look very nice Miss Amy," a voice came from Amy's side.

Amy spun to see Milo standing beside her. He gave her a charming smile and bowed slightly. It seemed unfair that a possible murderer could look so handsome. In fact Amy felt rather plain next to him. On the bright side, Winry had done an excellent job at hiding all of her injuries. Without her typical clothes Amy hadn't been able to hide the discolored bruises or the scratch on her forehead. That was where Winry had stepped in with a trusty bag of make-up and some smart fashion choices. She had applied, smeared, dusted, buttoned, and fitted Amy until she was presentable.

Amy was wearing a pair of nice black pants, a pair of blue open-toed sandals, and a white blouse with a close-fitting blue vest over it. Her hat was in the hotel as Winry had banned her from wearing it for the evening. Milo however was dressed in a nice collared green shirt that had the top two buttons undone and a pair of immaculate white pants. The kind of pants Amy would have definitely spilt something on if she had been wearing them.

"You look nice too," Amy said shyly (she was actually quite proud of herself for speaking at all).

Milo held out his arm and Amy stared at it. She was unsure of whether to take it. She remembered the chills from last time and what if he was only trying to pull her closer so he could stab her? Milo took her arm without waiting for a response and began to pull her along. He was either completely oblivious to her hesitation (which Amy doubted) or he was pretending not to notice. Goosebumps appeared on Amy's arm where Milo had grabbed it and she found it rather hard to concentrate on what Milo was saying when her mind was screaming "RUN FOR IT!" over and over again.

"Unfortunately we can't go to the diner you were at yesterday," Milo told her, "I'm afraid I'm not welcome there, but there's another restaurant we can go to. They have outdoor seating. It's a good thing it's so nice out."

Milo looked at her waiting for a response.

"Really nice out," Amy agreed trying to hide her nervousness, "Have you eaten there before?"

"Yes, but not outside. I'm sure you'll enjoy it though," Milo reassured her.

"_I won't enjoy anyplace with a murderer sitting right across from me!"_ Amy thought inwardly, but on the outside she just nodded.

* * *

Ed and Al trailed after Amy. They had to keep out of sight. Sure it would have been easier to track from a crowd but Al was fairly recognizable and Ed had a way of drawing attention to himself. Mostly they travelled through alleys behind the buildings and Ed would dart up a fire escape if they ever lost sight of the couple.

Currently the two were sitting on a rooftop with a high ledge. They were watching Amy and Milo dine at a restaurant across the street and a few buildings down. It was a good hiding place but from this distance neither Ed nor Al could hear Amy's conversation.

"Brother aren't we too far away?" Al asked as they peered over the roof's edge.

"The damn bastard will notice us if we get any closer," Ed grumbled.

He was not happy with the way this was going. This job was supposed to be easy and quick. Milo was supposed to reveal something and have been arrested already, but Ed had underestimated him. Milo was definitely sharper then the average person. He had almost spotted Ed and Al a couple of times already. It was if the man was on the lookout. Ed frowned. If Milo knew the circumstances of the situation then why did he agree to this date? It would have made more sense to avoid Amy completely unless Milo needed Amy for a specific reason. But why? What could he need from her?

Ed had a bad feeling about this.

"Brother, they're moving!" Al warned him.

Ed jumped out of his reverie and looked around. Sure enough Amy and Milo had left the restaurant and were heading down the street…in the exact opposite direction of the hotel.

"Damn it! Where are they going?" Ed asked frantically.

Something was wrong. Ed could feel it in his gut.

"Maybe they're going for a walk?" Al offered hopefully.

Ed nodded for Al's sake but he knew that neither of them believed that. They had dealt with serial killers before and they knew how dangerous this could be. Most of them weren't in their sane minds and were easy to locate and stop. Others, like Scar, were perfectly sane even with the inhumane things they did. It was those kinds of people they had to be wary of. The most dangerous were often the best hidden.

Al and Ed hurried down the fire escape to the ground. When they got to the street they began to look around for a hint of Amy or Milo. The crowds were slightly bigger at night but not by much. They should have been easy to spot, but Ed didn't see so much as a strand of hair.

"Shit. Shit. Shit!" Ed cursed his searching getting more frantic.

Aborting any hopes of being stealthy, he slammed his hands into the ground. People gasped as the light surrounded Ed and the ground beneath him began to rise. A column of earth rose into the sky with Ed on top. From a higher view point, Ed figured he should have been able to spot them. This was not the case. Quickly Ed returned to the ground.

* * *

"Al you keep looking, I'll go get the police. If you spot them, let me know," Ed told him hurriedly.

Al nodded in agreement, already knowing his brother's thought process. Unlike Ed, Al never tired which meant he could continue looking without stop. Not to mention Al couldn't be hurt by any weapons Milo might throw at him.

The two split up, Ed heading towards the station and Al in the opposite direction. Al could feel a phantom heartbeat beating wildly in his chest. He knew he had to keep a cool head but that didn't stop the anxiety from plaguing his mind.

* * *

Amy was wishing desperately that she was back at the hotel with Winry. The date would have been perfect to anyone else. But Amy wasn't anyone else. Her date made her skin crawl, shivers run down her spine, and she had to fight the urge to flee. He was just too practiced. Everything he did was measured and calculated, like a robot. However, there were brief moments were the robotic perfectionism was broken. Those moments scared her even more. There was a glint in his eyes which made Amy want to go running for the hills and then keep running.

On the outside her evening looked perfect. They walked to a nice café which had great food. They talked small talk. He had asked Amy a lot of questions, questions which Amy couldn't exactly answer so she took her own past and added the appropriate twists to it. Her lying had become quite proficient if she did say so. Afterwards he asked Amy to join him for a walk. Yes the evening would have been perfect, IF HER DATE WAS NOT A SUSPECTED MURDERER!

Actually he reminded Amy a bit of Light from Death Note. Both were suspected mass murderers while secretly keeping up false appearances. Appearances so perfect that people went there entire lives believing the lie. Amy hoped that Milo was no where close to Light in intelligence because Ed was definitely no L.

So where was Amy now? Truthfully she had no idea. They were just meandering through the streets. Every once in a while he dragged her into a shop to look at stuff. While he talked and chatted, Amy looked for a way to escape. She considered pretending to be sick, but she didn't think she was that good a liar. Then she considered having an "accident" and "accidently" hurting herself or him, so she could escape. But her clumsiness seemed to evade her that evening leaving her with nothing less then perfect coordination.

It was late now. The sun had set and the streetlamps were on. They had left the market district and were now passing suburban houses.

"Oh it's late now isn't it?" Milo chuckled, "I'm sorry I guess you don't notice the time passing when you're having fun."

"Time tends to work like that," Amy replied, hoping Milo would get the hint and bring her home.

"My house is nearby let me stop in and get a jacket for you," Milo offered, "You look cold."

"It's no problem really," Amy waved away his offer, "It will probably take longer to get the jacket then to head straight back, so why bother?"

"It will only take a moment I swear," Milo promised, "That house right there is mine."

He pointed that a house that looked like a small cottage. It was so little and quaint it seemed impossible that a mass murderer could live inside. Yet, Amy had the feeling it was why he had chosen the house. Milo began to walk over and Amy followed reluctantly. He walked up the steps and unlocked the front door.

"Would you like to come inside for coffee?" Milo offered.

"No, I'm fine," Amy replied, "Really I should get back. My friends will be worried."

"I guess you're right," Milo spoke as if a bit saddened, "After all he is the State Alchemist assigned to my case."

Amy's eyes widened. A hand was thrown over her mouth and another grabbed her arm roughly. She was dragged into the house before she could even think of screaming. The door slammed shut with an air of finality.

* * *

Tigger: Creepy no?

Amy: WAIT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME?

Tigger: You'll have to wait till next chapter. Now onto more important matters.

Al: Like what?

Tigger: My penname! I'm thinking of changing it. Only I have no idea what to change it to.

Ed: How about Crazyfangirl?

Tigger: Yeah well yours would be Shorty McShortest.

Ed: BADFFWriter

Tigger: The Fullmetal Shortpants.

Ed: NonFMAowner

Tigger: You take that back!

Ed: Never!

Tigger: (tackles Ed) FEAR MY POWER!

Ed: You're crazy!

Amy: Uhmm tune in next week for uhmm whatever happens next.


	54. Cliche Murderers Are Going Down

Tigger: Okay so I may have not updated in a long time. But I finally went on my e-mail and noticed all these messages from people asking me to update. Truth be told, I always meant to get back to this story. But one month turned to two months turned to six months and so on and so forth. As a person, I have also changed a lot since I started this story. I actually have this chapter and a next few chapters prewritten, but you may notice a change in writing style after that. I can't promise updates ever week, but I'll do my best.

Ed: Keh, only losers give up.

Tigger: YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME PUNK?

Ed: YEAH IF YOU REALLY CARED ABOUT THIS STORY YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN HERE!

Tigger: WELL SOME PEOPLE….wait did you miss me?

Ed: NO!

Tigger: YOU DID YOU MISSED ME! Aw Ed! (Hugs Ed)

Ed: YOU DO NOT OWN FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!

Tigger: DIE ED! (hits Ed with hammer) Oh I've missed this.

Amy: -_- And amazingly we've missed you.

* * *

If Amy's mouth hadn't been covered she probably would have been screaming bloody murder. Her situation was catching up with her quickly. She was in an unfamiliarly place being held captive by an unfamiliar man. If that right there didn't scream dangerous, Amy didn't know what did.

"_Breathe. Breathe. Breathe,"_ she instructed herself.

She needed to calm down. She needed to think her way out. Panicking would not help. Repeat it would not help. Ed and Al were watching her date right? They would burst in at any moment and kick Milo's sorry ass. They could get him for kidnapping if not for murder. She had to remain calm though. She had to ignore the fact that her heart was pounding like a drum or that she could hear the blood rushing in her ears. She was not allowed to tremble or shake, and she had to pretend the adrenaline rushing through her veins wasn't there. She had to. She had to.

"Your friends aren't coming," Milo whispered in her ear.

A chill ran down Amy's spine and she froze in place.

"_You can panic now,"_ her brain informed her.

The spell over Amy broke at those words. Her limbs, which had been locked in place, began to move around frantically. She grabbed at the arms binding her and began to pull desperately. Her legs flailed around as she tried to kick Milo and elbow him in the stomach at the same time. Milo gave a sharp tug which threw her off balance. She stumbled as Milo dragged her away from the door and further into the house. Desperately she tried to scream through his hand but the sound was muffled and Amy was left feeling lightheaded.

There was a flash of light and Amy vaguely noticed an alchemy circle on the wall. An entrance formed and Amy felt herself being shoved in. Her limbs lacked the proper oxygen to work and Amy's clumsiness seemed to return full force as she fell down a flight of stairs. Various limbs smacked into hard surfaces until she reached the bottom of the stairs. She lay there in a crumbled heap, her head pounding, her limps aching, and her heart going a gazillion miles a minute. The sound of feet coming down the stairs snapped her back to attention.

Pushing aside the aching and the pounding Amy bolted to her feet and tried to run away. The only problem was that it was pitch black and Amy couldn't see a thing. Her fingers searched along the wall and Amy stumbled through the dark. No plans were forming in her head. No ideas on how to escape. She had only one thought right now and that was to get as far away as possible as fast as she could. Her foot hit something and Amy was sent sprawling on the ground.

A click could be heard and the sound of electricity humming through the walls reached her ears. Amy covered her eyes as the light overhead flashed on. Once the pain in her eyes dispersed she opened them. Squinting she peered around the room.

It was a basement. That was obvious by the stone walls and cement floors. There were no windows and only one exit, the door up the stairs which Milo was currently standing on. Around the room stood a few tall brass candlesticks that were used to light the darker corners of the room. Books lay in stacks around the edges of the room and at least twenty were piled high on a table that was pushed against one of the walls. None of this was all that peculiar or relative for that matter. What was strange, eerie, and downright creepy was the giant complex alchemy circle that spanned most of the floor. It was full of strange unknown symbols that only experts could even attempt to understand. And in the middle of this circle was a casket. A casket with a person in it.

Amy's stomach tried to escape out her mouth at the sight. She swallowed and began to tremble. Beads of sweat slipped down her face. Amy couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. Her brain was reeling. The only thing she saw was the casket. The casket and the person.

"I knew it the moment I saw you," Milo announced, "There's an expression that says everybody has a twin somewhere in the world, but I never believed it. Not even for a second."

He walked over to Amy and stood beside her.

"To look somewhat alike I can understand, especially if they're related," Milo continued, "But to look identical is impossible. To be the same height. To act the same way. To have the same mannerisms. Impossible."

He smirked at Amy whose eyes had yet to leave the casket.

"When I saw you at the diner, I knew it was no coincidence. You were the same down to the last atom in your DNA. The only difference was that you claimed you had a different past and you're accent was off. It all made sense though."

Milo's words were finally reaching Amy's brain and she turned to face him. The creepy smile that was spreading across his face did little to help with her already shot nerves. She had a feeling he had reached a conclusion. A conclusion that wasn't good for her.

"Amelia was my assistant," Milo chuckled, a bit of insanity leaking through, "She agreed to help if I would teach her more about alchemy. She had no idea what she was signing up for."

He reached down and grabbed Amy by her collar. He proceeded to drag her to her feet and then over to the casket.

"I had a theory that instead of bringing people back from the dead we could build an entirely new person. A person without a soul. A person whose emotions wouldn't get in the way. A person you could teach anything to," he explained, "I had all the proper ingredients too. Of course I had Amelia do the final experiment. I couldn't risk any backfires."

Milo held Amy's face over the open casket.

"As you can see there was a little mishap and Amelia was no longer a part of this world."

Amy stared down at…well her. Amelia lay in the casket. They hadn't been lying when they said she was identical. The hair was the same. The body shape was the same. The freckles, the scars, all of it were the same. She looked as though she was merely sleeping but there was no rise or fall of the chest. There were no little movements to assure that the person was just off in dreamland. No it was obvious that this person was dead and had been for a while.

It was strange feeling staring at one's own dead body. Amy felt as if she was there but she wasn't. An uncomfortable feeling had settled in the pit of her stomach and all she wanted to do was look away. But she couldn't. Milo was holding her head in place as he continued to rant.

"I thought all was lost and I couldn't continue with my experiments because of the police watching me. I was just giving up hope when you arrived. The answer to all my problems."

Amy didn't bother to ask what was going through this crazy man's head but instead focused on breathing, on looking at the dead body without really seeing. Her stomach was churning terribly and she had to repress memories of a certain headless soldier.

"Aren't you going to ask me?" Milo breathed into her ear.

Amy would have shivered if she could have moved. Her body wasn't reacting though. She could feel its utter numbness as she tried without success to keep the images from flooding her vision. She wanted to cry and scream. The insanity was all around pressing in on her. Amy was terrified beyond her wildest dreams but she couldn't act on it.

"You're her soul. The ingredients were used to make the body but a body can't exist without a soul, so it took the nearest one. And then the body began to build around the soul. It tried to recreate what it once was. Don't you see? Don't you see what I made? I cloned her and made you."

Amy was sure that this comment was supposed to have some sort of affect on her. That she was supposed to gasp or cry or something. Instead she felt angry. It was one thing to be kidnapped by a crazy man, but the way he was acting it was as if he owned her. Amy was owned by no man! And she was certainly no clone! Sure her situation may have been weird but Amy remembered her old life. She knew it was real. She knew the people were real and that her life was real. She was no imitation. Amy was not going to fall into the same trap Al had. She was her own person, God f-ing damn it!

"Wait till the government hears about this. Wait till the people hear. I'll be rich. I'll go down in history books! They'll give me my own lab and people will line up to be my subjects! And you!" he grinned at Amy while saying this, "You are the key to my success!"

It was then that Amy snapped. Her anger boiled over and she lost all control over her reasoning. How dare he! How dare this man! This killer! Ever think that she would cooperate for him! To think that he owned her! To have no remorse for the girl he killed without a second thought! To murder someone for no more then fame! To have no regard for the family that would miss her or the friends that would cry over the empty grave! And then to think that no one would care! That no one would punish him! That he would never suffer for his sins! It was too much!

The rage transformed itself into something stronger then she ever felt before. It raced through her limbs making her feel as if she could crush buildings. Every instinct screamed at her to react. To hit him. To make him pay. Every ounce of her being wanted to hurt this man. Raw power gave her strength. Power that came from hate.

"Yargh!" Amy shouted twisting around and punching Milo in the mouth.

He flew backwards and skidded a few feet away. But that wasn't enough for Amy. Her anger was still there. It grew stronger and stronger the longer she stared at the man. It was feeding her. Her breaths came ragged, not from being weary, but from restraint.

The second Milo moved Amy was on him. She punched and kicked and scratched with no regrets. She didn't hold back for one second. Instead she went from one form of attack to another, never tiring. Milo punched her in the jaw and she stumbled away from the man, but his action only proceeded to feed the raw anger in her. Amy grabbed a brass candle stick holder and gripped it with all her might. With another strangled scream, she attacked.

She swung her weapon and was satisfied to hear it make contact. Amy didn't stall as she continued to beat him mercilessly.

At one point, without even realizing it, she had begun to yell.

"How dare you! How dare you!" she howled at the man, "She had family and friends! How could you?"

Her screams were often broken by ragged breathing or blows she sustained. Milo was fighting back. His rage was nowhere as strong as Amy's and she therefore had the advantage. She seemed unable to feel the hits that landed on her and never stopped throwing swings of her own.

There was a loud snapping noise as Amy once again brought her weapon down. This time Milo intercepted it with his hand. It was obvious she had broken it, but the mere shock of doing such a thing made Amy pause. That pause was all Milo needed to take advantage of the situation. He gripped the candlestick with his good hand and threw it as far away as possible.

Amy looked up at him with wide eyes. For the first time she realized what she had been doing. She had been trying to kill him. The rage had boiled so intensely evaporated. Amy had almost taken another man's life. She stepped back, horrified with herself. How could she ever plan to do such a thing? Life was precious what gave her the right to take it away? Could she really have been so close to being a killer? To taking away another human life? To being no better then him?

Milo noticed her weakness and sent a strong kick to her ribs. Amy immediately doubled over in pain. Her previous injuries had yet to heal and her bruised ribs were still very sensitive.

A sense of hopelessness fell upon Amy. Her only chance of escape had been when she had been in a rage. Now he was the strong one. She could escape if she managed to get herself very angry again, but could she do it? What if this time she actually killed him? But then again how long could she hold off human instinct? The will to survive was strong and Amy wanted to survive more then anything.

"AMY!" a loud voice cried.

Amy's heart skipped a beat as she recognized that voice.

"ED!" Amy yelled back as loud as she could.

A sense of hope flitted through her. She would be alright. She would be alright. Then she caught a look of Milo's face and her hope faded slightly. He looked enraged. Amy quickly scuttled away from him.

"ED?" she shouted again while making sure to keep a good distance from the advancing madman.

"AMY!"

That time it was Al.

"AMY! AMY, WHERE ARE YOU?" Ed yelled.

Amy couldn't answer right away as she had to dart between several piles of books in order to throw off Milo. He was advancing much faster now, in an almost predatory manner. Amy tried to keep a level head as she picked up her pace. She grabbed a volume and threw it at Milo's head. It missed and she picked up another one.

"IN THE BASEMENT!" she screamed, "ALCHEMY CIRCLE ON WALL!"

Amy turned to run and flung the book behind her hoping it would make contact with its target. Milo dodged again. He was much closer now and Amy was running. Running where she didn't know, but she was scurrying away as fast as possible.

"WE'RE COMING AMY!"

Amy didn't respond that time. Her legs were backed up against the casket and she had no escape. She continued to grab everything in reach and throw it at Milo. A few of the books actually hit him and Amy heard the scrambling and stomping from upstairs. She only had to hold him off for a little bit longer…

A light could be seen from the corner of her eye but Amy was paying more attention to the hand reaching for her neck. In desperation she leaned back as far as she could go, as if she was playing some corny game of limbo. Her legs flew out from under her and Amy fell backwards into the casket.

"HEY! STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

It felt as if a thousand tiny static shocks hit her all at once all over her body and all she could see was a blinding light.

* * *

OMAKE:

Armstrong: DEAREST TIGGER WE HAVE MISSED YOU!

Tigger: STOP HUGGING ME! THE SPARKLES HURT! THEY BURN MY SKIN!

Armstrong: However, you have abandoned us and for that YOU EARN THE ANCIENT ARMSTRONG PUNISHMENT!

Tigger: NO SPARE ME! (Tigger manages to break free and run off)

Armstrong: ACCEPT YOUR PUNISHMENT TIGGER AND BECOME A BETTER MAN!

(Armstrong is running after Tigger)

Tigger: BUT I'M NOT A MAN AND I HAVE NO DESIRE TO BECOME ONE!

Amy: Uhmm Tigger will be updating immediately after this chapter in order to make up for her disappearance. If she escapes Armstrong that is.

Al: (is holding an unconscious Ed) Brother just started recovering from all his head injuries.


	55. The Truth Totally Sucks

Tigger: (is breathing heavily and looking around frantically) Okay so I managed to escape.

Amy: How long do you think you have till Armstrong gets back?

Tigger: I don't know. How long does it take to fight off a tank full of sharks?

Amy: It's Armstrong.

Tigger: Right, I'm going to start running now.

Amy: Uh wait before you go, you promised Al you would say the disclaimer in exchange for getting privilege to smack Ed upside the head.

Tigger: I don't have time for this.

Armstrong: BEWARE SHARKS YOU HAVE NO IDEA OF THE ARMSTRONG POWER!

Tigger: GAH! Okay fine. I DON'T OWN FMA! NOW I GOT TO RUN!

* * *

Amy blinked and looked around. Everything was gone. There was no more Milo or Ed or Al. There were no stacks of books or alchemy circles. All there was…was yellow. No people, no animals, no inanimate objects, no nothing. She looked down at herself. All of her injuries were still there but she couldn't feel them anymore.

"Hello?" she called out confused.

Where was she? What was going on? Was she dead? No, she would have known if she had died. Right? Who didn't know of their own passing? Besides she had a feeling she had been here before, wherever here was, anyway.

"Amy," a voice spoke.

Amy whirled around, startled, and came face to face with herself. Surprised she backed up, `Was she dreaming again? But if Amelia was real then they weren't really dreams were they? Even then this still meant she was unconscious. How would she remember this when she woke up? How could she prove this was real? Was this real?

If those thoughts weren't causing her head to spin, the conversation sure was. Amy had no idea why Amelia was being so confusing. Why did she just spill her story like that? She didn't even stop to explain or let Amy interrupt. It seemed like she was in a hurry, but why? Where was she going? Her clues led Amy to believe that Amelia was now free, but where would she go? Her body was dead. Could she return to it? What if she couldn't? What then? Would Amelia become a ghost?

"_If Amelia is the essence of me then she should be easier to understand,"_ Amy's mind groaned, "_I don't think I've ever been this confusing."_

"When you collided with my body, my soul returned to my body. The body has long since passed though."

"What will happen to you now?" Amy asked although a feeling in her stomach told her she wouldn't like the answer.

"I don't know. Then again who does really?"

"What do you mean?" Amy questioned. Her stomach was doing flip-flops as the awful feeling increased.

"It died so I die. It's simple as that."

She meant she was going to die. Amy knew that much. They were the same, so how could she not catch the clues? Amy had been a life-force for Amelia. She had been Amelia's mind and body, without those there was no Amelia. Amelia had only explained because she knew she would never have another chance too.

"How can you be so calm about that?" Amy shouted, close to tears.

How could she expect death so easily? How could she give up her life like that? Amy always fought to live, why was Amelia so different? Why would she give up what she knew for something she didn't know? Why take that risk? Amy would play host to Amelia if Amelia needed it. She would help Amelia gain a body. She could put her in a suit of armor. Amy understood the will to live and was willing to help others live. What Amy couldn't understand, was the will to die. No one ever came back from death, not even in a world with alchemy.

"You'll see one day," Amelia smiled a sort of little smile and waved to her, "This is where we part."

"No don't go! I want to talk!" Amy shouted reaching for Amelia.

If only she could stall her, persuade her. Anything! She wouldn't allow an innocent to die. Amy and Amelia were the same. Letting her die, would be like letting her twin die. No one else would ever understand them the way they could understand each other. There was so much they could gain, so much they could do. So much to compare, to talk about, to dream together. There were years and years ahead, if only Amelia let Amy help.

Her fingers grasped nothing though. Amelia continued to smile as she faded from existence. Amy was frantic now. She grasped the air over and over again, trying to grab the girl and haul her back into existence.

"Wait!" Amelia screamed desperate to stop her, to help her.

But Amelia was gone.

Winry was sitting next to Amy's hospital bed on an uncomfortable chair. The lights were too harsh for this time of night, but she paid it little mind. Her mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts were focused on the girl she was sitting beside. Amy's injuries had been healed nicely, nothing life threatening, and now they were just waiting for her to wake up.

Silence hung heavy in the air. Winry knew that the two brothers were blaming themselves for this incident. Normally she would try and snap them out of it, but the only person who could do that this time was Amy. Winry's heart felt a pang as she thought about the poor girl. How could something like that happen to her? Amy was a shy cute girl. Who would want to hurt her?

Winry glanced at Ed and Al. When she had arrived at the scene there had been lots of chaos. Al had come running out with Amy held in his arms. Amy had been whisked away by a doctor or nurse of some sort while the police charged in. They had emerged with Ed and a man in chains. The man was screaming and thrashing. The police holding him, winced at his voice, but didn't seem to pay attention to what he was screaming. Winry had heard though.

_"My experiment! My experiment! Bring her back! Bring her back! I can prove it! I made her! You should bow to me! I can clone people! I can! I can!" he had screeched._

_At that moment he caught sight of Amy who was being examined by the medical personnel. Winry's heart had leapt into her throat as she tried to hold down the fear and panic. Before she could dash over, another shout was heard._

_"What have you done to her?" the man began to shout. He was looking at Ed with an unimaginable rage in his eyes. Clearly he blamed Ed for his and 'his experiment's' fate._

_Winry could hardly believe that this was the same man she had met yesterday. That man had been so composed, so in control. He was calm, cool, and collected. Even when faced with confrontation, he never showed any anger. Now he was a manic. His emotions were all over the place. He neither cared nor was aware of the fuss he was causing. Instead, he seemed to be focused on one thing and one thing only. Amy._

Winry shivered. That look in his eyes would haunt her for the rest of her life. She tried to distract herself by thinking of other things, but her mind seemed to be going in circles. This evening would be imprinted on all their minds forever. Winry glanced at Amy. She felt so bad for her. It was obvious that Amy had never dealt with things such as this before. How would she react? How would she fare after this event?

Without any real thought to it, Winry grasped Amy's hand and held it tight. She wanted to let Amy know she was here. She was going to help her. Winry would not let her deal with this alone. She, Ed, and Al knew how important support and comfort was in times of need. After all, they had all suffered tragic losses, but they had had each other to help them through it. Amy had already lost so much, she shouldn't have to loose any more.

Amy began to awaken. Immediately Winry and the others snapped to attention. Her eyes opened very slowly and she blinked a few times before focusing on anything. She seemed confused and her eyes still had traces of sleep in them.

"Amy," Winry called to her, "Amy how do you feel?"

Amy didn't reply but instead her brow wrinkled in confusion. Slowly she lifted her arm and examined it. Her eyes widened and she looked around the room frantically.

"Amy," Al called to her, "Amy it's alright."

Amy didn't say anything but her eyes began to fill up with tears.

"You're safe now," Ed told Amy, "We put Milo in jail. He'll never bother you again. I promise."

Winry glanced at Ed. He looked miserable. Ed had never been good with crying girls especially when it was his fault. Although this time it really wasn't his fault, but Winry knew Ed wouldn't accept that. Both Ed and Al always took the blame. They hated seeing others suffering and would rather suffer themselves because then they were the only ones getting hurt.

"She's dead!" Amy sobbed.

Amy's comment caught everyone off guard.

"She's dead. She's dead. She's dead." Amy kept repeating to herself through the tears.

"Who's dead?" Winry asked.

"It's all my fault," Amy cried into her hands, "All my fault. She shouldn't have died! She can't have died! She was supposed to live! She had friends and family and a life and it's all gone!"

"Who's dead?" Winry asked again, but this time looking at Ed.

Ed clenched his fists and looked down at his feet.

"Amelia," Ed spat through clenched teeth, "That bastard killed Amelia and was going to hurt Amy next."

Winry's eyes widened. So it was true, the townspeople had suspected right. Amelia had never run off. Instead she was killed by her teacher and left to rot in a basement. Winry's stomach took a horrified churn and her eyes watered slightly. She looked over at Amy.

Amy was still weeping and screaming. All Winry could hear was the same line over and over again.

"My fault. All my fault."

"Amy, it's not your fault," Al tried to assure her, "Milo was the killer and he was going to hurt you too. None of this is your fault. If anything it's ours."

"You don't understand!" Amy shouted, "Amelia was me! She was me! He killed myself of this world! Oh my God! I'm dead. She's dead. We're dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! All my fault! Her-mine family friends all left behind. Dead. Forever."

Amy seemed to have gone into shock as she continued to spit out phrases as if she was in a trance. Over and over again she kept calling herself dead. She insisted that it was all over. That it was all her fault. Finally Winry couldn't take anymore.

"YOU'RE NOT DEAD!" Winry screamed.

Immediately all noise from Amy stopped. She seemed to realize where she was for the first time and stared up at Winry surprised.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY YOU'RE DEAD!" Winry continued to yell, "Dead is when people don't come back! When you never see them again! When they never kiss you good-night or tell you good-bye! When you never spend another moment with them! When they leave you with a gaping hole in your heart!"

Tears began to slip out of Winry's eyes and down her cheeks. She rubbed them away angrily but the more she tried to get rid of them, the more tears came.

"You are not dead!" Winry said fiercely, "You are still here! You can still get up and walk! You may be suffering now, but that shows you are still alive. You have to move pass this! You're heart still beats! You're still alive! Don't you dare ever say you're dead! Don't you ever say it!"

Winry sobbed and tried to rub her eyes dry with the back of her arm.

"Because," she whispered, "I never want to loose someone important to me ever again."

Amy's eyes began to water again.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she sobbed.

Winry smiled gently and gave Amy a hug.

"I'm sorry too."

Ed grumbled slightly as he woke. His muscles were sore from the previous day and he felt like he hadn't gotten any sleep at all. Lazily he stretched his limbs trying to remove the kinks. Once stretched, he headed over to the bathroom to get ready. When he emerged twenty minutes later, he saw Al sitting by the window gazing out it.

"Ready to go?" Ed asked.

Al looked up and nodded. The two left the hotel room and headed over to the hospital. There was a heavy silence as the two walked through the early morning. Few people were out at this hour. Ed continued to observe his surroundings, sending occasional glances at his brother.

"Al," he began not really sure what to say next.

"I'm fine brother," Al tried to reassure him, "I'm just want to know how Amy is doing."

"Winry would have called us if anything was wrong," Ed pointed out.

"I know," Al glanced up at the early morning sky, "Brother, is this our fault?"

Ed also craned his neck upward. The sky was on the darker side now but rays of light could be seen over the horizon. A few birds drifted through the early morning air.

"We've made so many mistakes, haven't we?" Ed questioned, "And others have had to pay the price."

Ed could see Al peering at him from the corner of his eye. He pretended not to notice and continue.

"They're our sins and yet others bare the burdens. We've suffered so much yet we can't protect the people we care most about."

"I don't think that's true brother," Al objected, "I do not think we pressure them or force them to bare our problems. They have chosen to stay close. Winry, Auntie Pinako, Ms. Hawkeye, and Colonel Mustang all know what we have done but they have chosen to stay with us."

"They have, haven't they?" Ed grinned.

"I am grateful to have them," Al said sincerely.

"We're just lucky," Ed said, "What are the chances other people like them exist?"

"Do you suppose Amy feels that way?" Al asked, "Do you think she minds being around us? Look at all we put her through. After last night. I'm not sure she'll ever forgive us."

Ed frowned. Last night has certainly not gone as planned and he regretted even suggesting his plan. His stomach clenched as guilt shot through him. He never meant for something like this to happen. Last night, Amy had looked so scared and frightened when she woke up. He could only imagine the horrors she had witnessed and he could kick himself for ever losing sight of her.

"I don't know Al," Ed admitted.

"Ed! Al!" a voice called out to them.

Ed and Al spun around to see Winry racing down the street to them.

"Winry?" Ed questioned, "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying at the hospital with Amy."

"I was but we got hungry. The food there is atrocious, so I went out to get something," Winry explained.

Now that she had pointed it out Ed did notice Winry holding a large paper bag in her hands.

"Are you sure it was a good idea to leave Amy alone?" Al asked, "She seemed pretty upset last night."

Winry's mood quickly changed from chipper to affronted and the smile disappeared off her face.

"I would never leave her alone if I thought she needed me," Winry hissed, "She's fine now. We spent all night talking."

"Al didn't mean it that way Winry," Ed quickly intervened, "We were just worried."

Winry frowned for another couple of seconds before releasing a sigh.

"I know," she sighed, "But really Amy's okay now. We spent all night talking. Amy was just confused and scared last night."

Winry did look a little dead on her feet. There were large circles under her eyes and her skin was slightly paler then usual.

"She had confused herself with the Amelia. It was like she couldn't tell the difference between her and Amelia. She just kept saying she had died," Winry explained with a far-off look in her eyes, "That may have been the scariest part of yesterday. I thought I was losing her."

"But she's all right now, right?" Al asked hesitantly.

"Yep," Winry nodded cheerfully.

"Let me guess you snapped her out of it with a lot of yelling and some wrench swinging," Ed smirked, "That's just like you."

Next thing Ed knew he was lying on the ground and his head was pounding.

"Hmph," Winry huffed and began to walk away.

"You know you kind of deserved that one brother," Al said offering Ed a hand.

"Shut up," Ed mumbled into the dirt.

* * *

OMAKE:

Tigger: (is hiding in a tower of toys) He won't find me here! He won't find me here!

Armstrong: TIGGER YOU HAVE PROVEN DIFFICULT TO FIND SO I HAVE RECRUITED MY COUSIN!

Cousin: ONCE WE FIND TIGGER WE WILL MAKE HER RUN 20KM!

Armstrong: YES WE WILL BUILD HER FITNESS FOR HER PUNISHMENT!

Tigger: (is mildly curious about who this cousin is peaks out) AHHH MY EYES THE SPARKLES THEY BURN!

(Tigger passes out)

Amy and Al and Ed: (all look up) AHHHH! THERE ARE TWO! (all pass out)

Armstrong: I guess our Armstrong genes were too much for them.

Cousin: Let us go run 40km!

Armstrong: LET'S!

[Here is the url code to see the other Armstrong from the author's new work Gin no Saji (Go to mangafox and then look up gin no saji and its chapter 1 page 32)]


	56. Monologues Please

Tigger: Look at me updating again!

Ed: I don't know why you bother.

Tigger: Shut up! Anyway reviewers I feel it is better to warn you that these chapters contain ED!

Ed: Of course these chapters contain me! I'm the main character!

Tigger: I know but lately I've been kind of doing an Al, Amy, Winry kind of thing. You're really only here for the comic relief.

Ed: THE SERIES IS NAMED AFTER ME!

Tigger: A series I do not own.

Amy: Woah did you just admit you didn't own the series?

Tigger: Yeah why would I want to own a dumb character like Ed?

Ed: GET BACK HERE!

(Ed chases Tigger off-screen)

Al: It seems like they switched positions for the day.

Amy: I wonder if its opposite day or something.

Al: So should we thank the reviewers?

Amy: Okay.

(Tigger runs by)

Tigger: THANKS REVIEWERS!

Amy: Well guess that's settled. Let's start.

* * *

Amelia had been Amy and at the same time she hadn't. Amelia and Amy were from the same genetics and raised by a similar family. They had looked identical. Sounded identical. But were they? How could they be? Even if they were made from the essence as each other they were not the same. There could never be two of the same people. Besides they had been raised in different times. Scientists theorized that what made up a person was their surroundings. It was one of the reasons cloning was impossible. There is no way to repeat the same surroundings twice. Even if someone cloned Hitler, there was no guarantee that the person would grow up to be like Hitler because they did not live the same life experiences. This new Hitler could be a social worker and spend all his spare time working in soup kitchens! This meant that Amy and Amelia were not the same. It was like Kikyo and Kagome from Inuyasha. Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo but they were two separate people.

At least that was the conclusion Amy had reached. Thinking this way certainly helped if nothing else. If Amelia was not the same as Amy, it made the loss hurt a little less. There was an understanding yes, all losses were sad, but it was better this way. Thinking that her other half had died (even if it wasn't exactly her) had sent Amy teetering on the edge of insanity. It would have made anyone unstable. Viewing Amelia as a different person was not only logical but a safety precaution for Amy's mental health.

"I'm sorry you had to die," Amy whispered to the air.

Ever since Amelia had well, there was no other way to describe it, had disappeared from inside Amy's head she felt strangely alone. She hadn't even known there was another person up there and now she felt so empty without that presence. It was just her now. It may seem strange but maybe Amy had been unconsciously aware of the other presence inside her. That would explain the talks with herself at least.

Although Amy refused to acknowledge she and Amelia as the same person, she did not deny there had been a bond there. Both were victims. Both had suffered. But they went through it together. Both had been frustrated and stuck in a place unknown to them. Although Amy had been physically stuck in another world while Amelia had been mentally trapped somewhere else. But now they were free or at least Amelia was. Amy may have not been very religious but at the moment she hoped there was a heaven. Somewhere where Amelia could run free for all eternity. Amy had a feeling Amelia would like that.

"Amy, how are you feeling?"

Amy turned to see Ed, Al, and Winry enter the room. Al had asked her the question and he looked slightly concerned.

"Physically I'm a wreck," Amy smiled, "I think I'm going to be perpetually bruised."

"You better hope not," Ed snorted, "Greenish-purple doesn't suit you."

"Don't talk to a girl that way," Winry reprimanded Ed and slapped him across the back of the head.

She turned to Amy and held out the bag, "I brought breakfast."

Ed sneakily tried to reach into the bag and Winry slapped his hand away.

"None for you," she said firmly.

"Come on, I haven't had anything to eat yet," Ed whined.

"Too bad," Winry said, "These are for me and Amy. Go get your own food."

"Fine," Ed grumbled and glared at Winry as she began to set out food for her and Amy.

"Don't bother," Amy told Winry, "I want to catch the next train."

Everyone looked at her in surprise.

"You're not in any condition to travel," Ed said.

"How would you know? You're not my doctor."

"You're injuries are serious. You're not going anywhere."

"I'm fine. They're superficial." Amy argued.

"You were attacked by a murderer last night," Ed's voice was commanding, "You're staying here."

"I'm leaving!" Amy's voice rose higher.

"No." Ed said simply.

"Yes!"

"Amy, you need to rest," Al interrupted politely.

"I refuse to let a midget order me around!" Amy ignored Al, "Tiny people can't rule those taller then them!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT PEOPLE STEP ON HIM?" Ed yelled.

"Midget! Midget! Tiny person! Munckin! Wee one! Yee of shortness! Itty-bitty tensy-weensy itsy-bitsy little microscopic one!" Amy shouted back.

Ed was so enraged by the onslaught of short comments that he was speechless with rage. Meanwhile Al looked absolutely horrified that any sane person would tease his brother about his height so much and Winry was torn between amused and concerned. Ed finally seemed to recover and he stumbled around his words before spitting out the first thing that came to his mind.

"You have no girlish features!"

"I do too your Royal Shortness!"

"Flat-chested!"

"Pocket-sized!"

"Boyish!"

"Puny!"

"Scraggly-looking!"

"Diminutive!"

"Rest already!" Ed shouted at her, "You're such an idiot! Do you know how worried we were about you? You were attacked by a murderer last night! You almost died! Do you have no self-preservation?"

Amy faltered. Her insults died on her tongue. She had no idea what to say. It wasn't that she was ungrateful. She just hadn't thought about how this would affect the others. Truth be told, she had been more worried about herself. But now…now she just felt awful. This couldn't have been easy for any of them. Not Winry, who's shoulder Amy had borrowed to cry on through most of the night; not Ed, whose plan had started this whole thing; nor Al, who had promised to protect her. Were they hurt too? Had they been just as scared? Did terror pump through their veins last night? Did it feel like they couldn't breathe? Were they haunted by last night too? Did they all just want to put it behind them?

Amy bit her lip as she felt more tears sting her eyes. God damn it! She didn't want to cry anymore! She wanted to move on! To go to Rush Valley! To only think about finding her family! Every time her thoughts drifted to last night, she felt like she was being drawn in. She felt as if she would be trapped in that horrible nightmare forever with no escape in sight.

"You don't understand," Amy's voice cracked as she tried to keep the tears at bay, "I want to leave it behind. Last night. I want to pretend it's a bad dream. I want to go to Rush Valley and see automail. I want to have fun with you guys. I want the good times to seal this nightmare away. I never want to think about it again."

"You mean you don't blame us?" Al asked.

"What?" Amy looked at him stunned, "Why would I blame you?"

Truthfully, it hadn't occurred to her to blame Ed and Al. After all Milo had been the killer. Why blame anyone else when it was clear who had caused the problem in the first place?

"I guess that's a bit of relief," Al sighed, "We were worried you would blame us."

"I don't understand, why would I do that?"

"Because it was our plan that led to what happened to last night," Ed pointed out, "We're the reason you're so injured. How can you not blame us? It was our job to protect you and we failed."

Ed looked at the ground clenching his fists.

"You are not Milo and therefore you are not at fault," Amy pointed out, "But if you really feel guilty you can help me sneak out of this hospital."

Ed looked up at her and Al sweatdropped.

"Amy I fear you are becoming more like Brother every day," Al told her.

Amy looked horrified.

"No I want to become Winry. I don't want to become a midget!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT WHEN HE LOOKS UP HE ONLY SEES THE GROUND?"

"Shut up, Ed," Winry whacked Ed across the head.

"Why you!" Ed growled whirling on Winry.

"Now Brother, be nice," Al said politely.

"Yes, Ed be nice to me," Winry smirked at the enraged Ed and then made her way over to Amy.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Winry asked Amy concerned.

"As fine as I can," Amy admitted.

"And if you feel unwell, you'll tell us?" Winry questioned.

"I'm not that good a faker," Amy admitted.

"And you'll stay by one of us at all times?"

"Of course."

"Then let's go the Rush Valley!" Winry declared.

"Hey! Don't decide things like that on your own!" Ed protested.

"Ed's right, Winry. Amy needs the rest," Al pointed out.

"Like you two are ones to talk," Winry scoffed, "Besides if Amy says she's fine then she's fine. I trust her. Also I have some extensive medical knowledge of my own. I can treat her wounds and if they get worse we'll take her to a hospital."

"It sounds reasonable," Al said, "What do you think Brother?"

Ed glanced at Amy and Winry. It was silent in the room as the group awaited Ed's answer.

"I'm going to loose this argument anyway," Ed sighed, "All right. Let's go."

"Yeah! Automail!" Winry and Amy cheered.

The two high-fived and Winry jumped on the bed as Amy did a little dance.

"Automail! Automail! Oh what fun! Automail for everyone!" Amy sung.

Ed and Al sweatdropped.

"Brother I sense that this adventure may be more dangerous then the last," Al said quietly.

Ed nodded in agreement.

Amy stared slack-jawed at the sigh around her. There were high plateaus in the background and on every level of ground was building after building. Every place she looked there were signs for automail, books on automail, and, of course, automail. People everyone had all sorts of automail which they showed off. The various types were amazing. Big ones, small ones, automail with built in knives and other sorts of weapons. One person even had automail with a giant skull engraved on it. Truly this place was heaven on earth.

A nervous excitement built up in the pit of Amy's stomach as she tried to take in everything with her eyes. Winry took had sparkles in her eyes, but unlike Amy she didn't stay still long.

"Oh! It's so beautiful!" Winry cried looking in one window, "This automail! They've got this year's automail! I'd never thought I see it here!"

Winry was aware of the silence of her companions and turned around.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Ed trailed off.

"This place is aptly named," Al admitted, "Rush Valley. Things do progress here at a rapid rate."

"Also known as the Holy Land of Automail," Winry cut in.

"Really? This place is all about automail?" Al asked intrigued.

"Yeah, it's full of unrest though," Ed grumbled, "Hopefully the economy stays afloat."

"Where'd Amy go?" Winry asked.

They all looked around to see Amy standing near some guy with a massive automail hand.

"Look," he was telling a star-struck Amy, "My hand is better then any pocket knife. I have all sorts of things in here."

The guy flicked his mechanical thumb back and a small flame appeared.

"That's so cool!" Amy gasped staring at the lighter in the guy's automail.

Amy flinched as Ed grabbed the back of her shirt and began to drag her away.

"I thought you said you wouldn't run off," he growled.

"But the automail!" Amy protested, "I just want to see how it works!"

Ed didn't listen to Amy's protest as he dragged her back to the group. Amy pouted but Winry quickly cheered her up by promising to teach her all about automail later. There was some loud cheering from a little ways over and the group decided to investigate.

From what Amy could tell everyone was gathered around a table where two people with automail arms were sitting down on opposite sides. One of the men was huge with some weird sideburns and goatee while the other man was simply average. The huge man had a giant mechanical arm to go with his huge stature. Apparently this was some sort of automail arm wrestling competition. Amy felt bad for the average man whose automail snapped in half within seconds. The crowd cheered for the big man as the loser was dragged away by savage automail mechanics eager to fix him.

"Poor guy," Amy said as the man disappeared into the distance.

The crowd didn't seem to care as the announcer, or at least that was what Amy assumed he was, searched for another competitor.

"How about you big guy?" he asked Al.

The crowd looked at Al.

"Uh no thanks! Not me!" Al quickly turned down the offer.

"Then how about you?" he asked Ed.

It was actually really warm in Rush Valley so Ed had ditched his usual cloak and black over shirt jacket thing (or whatever the hell it was) and his automail arm was visible for all to see.

"Oh never mind," the announcer laughed, "You're much to short to participate in this kind of thing."

Amy flinched as she could practically feel Ed's rage building up. Winry and Al looked stupefied. Amy attempted to warn the announcer about the horror he just unleashed with those few words but was interrupted by Ed. Ed slammed his hands down on the table and took a seat across from the giant man. Everyone began to laugh and cheer at the sight of such a shrimp facing such a giant.

"Don't you dare loose!" Winry shouted at Ed, "I just fixed your automail!"

"Good luck Brother," Al told him.

"He's going to murder that man isn't he?" was all Amy said.

From the corner of her eyes Amy thought she saw a little flash of light. She blinked twice, blamed it on a reflection, and focused on the task at hand. Ed and the giant placed their hands in the proper position and someone shouted start. In less then a second Ed had slammed the giant guy's hand into the table with such a force that the arm snapped in two. Everyone in the audience was startled, no one made a sound.

"Eh," the man gasped in shock.

"Look like it's a busy day for the scrape dealers," Ed smirked evilly as he held up part of the man's broken automail.

The silence faded as, once again, a number of automail mechanics attacked the loser of the competition. They screamed about deals and payments plans as they dragged the stunned man away. Ed himself was relishing in his victory and had a smug smile on his face.

"I don't get it," Amy mumbled, "Ed's arm was so tiny and his was so big. It's not like he has any muscles in his arm so how could he beat him?"

"What did happen?" Winry whispered to Al.

Al told the two of them the answer in a low whisper, trying not be heard by the crowd.

"Ed used alchemy to break the arm," Al admitted.

"So that was that flash of light."

Al nodded.

"You should have lost," Winry told Ed.

"What? I can't hear you!" Ed said ignoring Winry's statement.

"Cheater," was all Amy thought.

"Hey I've never seen that sort of automail before," a guy said pointing at Ed's automail.

Suddenly Ed was surrounded by group of admiring mechanics. Amy and Al stood back from the crowd as Winry explained how her automail to the admirers.

"These people are like piranhas," Amy said.

"Indeed they are," Al agreed.

As suddenly as the crowd came it dispersed. All that was left was an almost naked Ed and a cheerful Winry. Ed stood in the middle of the town square with only his boxers on. Amy quickly covered her eyes and she blushed deeply. Winry on the other hand seemed to be unaware of Ed's almost nakedness and continued to talk.

"Everyone was so excited about your automail," she told Ed, "This really is the Holy Land of Automail."'

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE STANDING HERE IN MY UNDERWEAR THOUGH!" Ed objected loudly.

The sight would have probably been hilarious if Amy had been reading about it. However she had no wish to see Ed in his underwear in real life. And, even though he claimed to be embarrassed, he wasn't hurrying to put his pants back on.

"Haha, a State Alchemist in his underwear," Al laughed good-naturedly.

"Want a beating Al?" Ed asked angrily.

"I didn't mean it like that Brother," Al pouted.

There was a silence except for Al crying in a corner.

"Geez I put my pants back on, you can look now," Ed yelled at Amy exasperated.

Amy quickly uncovered her eyes.

"Really Amy have you never seen a guy in his underwear before?" Winry laughed at the Amy's red face.

"Yes, but they were my little cousins and they were wearing diapers!" Amy tried to fend off more embarrassment.

Winry was about to say something else when there was a cry of anguish.

"It's gone," said Ed quietly.

"What is?" Winry asked.

Ed patted down his pockets frantically and then pulled them out. Winry, Al, and Amy looked at Ed curiously.

"My state alchemist watch," Ed said nervously, "My watch is gone."

* * *

OMAKE: (Mary-Sue cliché style)

Amy is fighting Envy in an intense battle with awesome kung-fu powers she gained overnight.

Amy: Oh no I am falling!

Al: No Amy! If you fall Envy will get you and I am too far away to help despite the fact that I have alchemy!

Amy falls onto the floor but her hands magically clap together before they hit the ground. A tower of earth appears and clocks Envy in the jaw.

Al: Amy you have alchemy!

Amy: Yes and I am able to do it without understanding the chemicals at all! Awesome it's like having superpowers even though alchemy is supposed to be a very difficult to learn science.

Ed: Amy it is up to you to beat Envy because Scar just came and exploded by arm again!

Amy: I can do it!

Amy leaps into the air pulling water out of thin air. She whips it around and smacks Envy with it. Then she lands on the ground and makes a jail for Envy. Envy lies there uncouncious.

Amy: Look I did it without following any of the rules of alchemy!

Al: Go Amy!

Ed: Let us skip into the sunset.

Narrator: So the three skip into the sunset. But what adventures will wait them next time on Pokémon Adventure? I mean FMA Omake.


	57. An Awful Lot of Running

Tigger: I updated again! Sorry my inspiration comes and goes. Anyway you may notice the title of this chapter is the name of the song by a band called Chameleon Circuit! If you guys watch Doctor Who, I reccomend the band and hope you get the reference. If you don't, the title is totally applicable to the chapter anyway.

Ed: Shut up! They waited five months for this chapter.

Tigger: And I would like to kindly thank all my reviewers for that except there are over 287 e-mails from and if I copy the name of all of them, my hand will fall off.

Ed: One can dream.

Tigger: You're not getting your watch back this chapter in that case.

Ed: WHAT?

Tigger: HA!

Al: Brother, you'll get it back eventually.

Colonel Mustang: Tsk, tsk, losing your watch Fullmetal?

Amy: What's Mustang doing here? We haven't seen him in forever.

Tigger: He's not showing up for a while either.

Mustang: I got bored. Hanging out here is better then paperwork. Now Tigger, why don't you and I have a chat about my character portrayal? I'm so much better then Fullmetal over there.

Ed: GO DIE COLONEL BASTARD!

Tigger: HEY THIS FIC IS ONLY RATED T!

Al: BROTHER NO! DON'T KILL THE COLONEL!

Amy: I just want to go home.

Tigger: Such a whiner, Amy.

Amy: Shut up!

Winry: (smacks everyone with a wrench) Start the chapter!

Tigger: Ow. Yes, Winry.

* * *

That statement was what started a desperate search for Ed's watch. Even Winry was aware of how important the watch was. Ed asked some nearby folks if they had any clue about who would have stolen his watch. They told him it was a local thief named Bunny (I know her name is different in the English version but in the Japanese she is named Usagi which translates over to Bunny.) Ed threatened them with his automail blade and they quickly spilled out the location Bunny could be found at. Ed ran through the streets and the rest of the group followed.

"Ed, slow down!" Winry shouted at him.

"She better not touch my watch!" Ed screamed.

Ed skidded to a stop in front of the pawn shop, Bunny was rumored to be at it. He paused only long enough to regain his balance before slamming his foot into the door. The door swung up and hit the wall with a loud bang.

"Drop that watch!" Ed ordered.

Amy peeked around Ed's shoulder to see who exactly Ed was yelling at. Inside the shop, stood two people. One person was behind the counter. He was an older man with a huge bald spot on his head and a pair of glasses perched on his nose. The other person was a young girl, around Amy's age. She was darker skinned with short black hair pulled back into a small ponytail. She had camouflage pants held up with a belt and a black tank top on. The girl looked at Ed a bit surprised and then kicked a vase up with her foot. She balanced it on one foot and shouted at Ed.

"Catch!"

The storeowner screamed in terror as his highly valued vase flew through the air. Ed barely caught it, looking absolutely terrified at the thought of breaking something so pricey. Bunny took the watch and escaped out the window. Ed roughly shoved the vase into Amy's arms as he screamed at Bunny to stop and jumped out the window after her.

"Wow look at them go," Winry spoke up.

A cry from Ed made Al sigh.

"Let's go," he said turning and exiting through the door.

Winry hurried after him and Amy looked at the vase in her hands.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

Amy looked at the store owner, who looked like he was about to have a stroke. She cast another glance at the vase and then where Al and Winry had run off to.

"Wait for me!" Amy hastily set the vase down and hurried out the door after the others.

In the end, it was Winry who ended up catching Bunny, much to Ed's dismay. Of course the only reason Winry caught Bunny was to look at her automail.

"_Figures_," Amy thought, although she herself has squealed, "It shoots explody things! I want one!" when Bunny showed off the projectiles in her legs.

Winry was now thoroughly examining Bunny's legs while Ed and Al sat in a corner. Winry was rattling off components of the automail and Amy was hastily taking notes.

"I'll take you to see the maker," Bunny suggested, "On the condition you forget what happened."

Bunny's suggestion resulted in an argument between Winry and Ed, which was interrupted by the angry townspeople whose houses and stores were ruined by Ed. Amy, who was still recovering from two hospital visits, decided that this was a perfect time for rest since Winry and Ed could fight forever and Ed had a lot of damage to fix. She sat on the edge of the fountain.

"It's gonna be a long day," Amy thought as she stared at Ed, who was currently being harassed by a portly woman whose house Ed destroyed.

As it turns out, Amy was right. Not just because it took Ed forever to fix the houses (alchemy can only work so fast), but because now Bunny was leading them to the middle of nowhere. Nowhere being the top a mountain in 100 degree heat, that for some reason was defying physics and getting warmer as they climbed up.

"WHY THE HELL AM I FOLLOWING YOU TO THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?" Ed screamed frustrated after an hour or so.

Personally, Amy agreed. She loved automail too, but come on she had taken a severe smack to the head two days ago! The last thing she needed was to go traipsing through a mountain pass. Of course she had yet to say anything for two reasons 1) All this climbing made it hard to breathe nonetheless speak and 2) Ed would never let her hear the end of it especially after Amy had declared she was fit enough to leave the hospital. Al tried to calm Ed down.

"It's not that bad brother!" Al sympathized, "Just think of other things."

"LIKE BEING OFF THIS MOUNTAIN!" Ed directed at Winry.

"Shut up Ed!" Winry wiped some sweat off her face, "Or I'll push you off this bridge!"

Amy glanced down at the wooden bridge they were using to pass over a gorge. It really didn't look like it could handle people walking on it, she didn't dare think about people having an all-out brawl on the bridge.

"How about we just walk across, yeah?" Amy asked.

Bunny interrupted the conversation by explaining why exactly her automail maker lived out here, but Amy was really too tired to listen. She had never been a big fan of the heat or the cold, she was a spring kind of gal. Heat meant sun. Sun meant sunburn. Sunburn meant dehydration and passing out in Disney. Disney did not take too kindly to people fainting in "the Happiest Place on Earth."

"Hey, I'm not sunburned," Amy said glancing over her skin.

Usually she fried up in minutes, but she had been able to keep her normal skin complexion.

"Sunburned?" Al looked at her curiously.

"Yeah, you know when you spend too much time out in the sun and the radiation kills your skin cells," Amy only received blank looks in return, "Right no hole in the ozone forgot sorry."

"Hole in the ozone?" it was Bunny who spoke up this time.

"How to explain this," Amy thought, "Okay so the earth has an atmosphere to protect the planet right? This atmosphere has different layers which do different things. One layer protects the earth from the sun's harmful rays, it filters the sunlight so we get all of the benefits without getting a lot of the negatives. However, these things called chloroforms, destroy the layer and create a hole. This hole allows more sunlight through, and people get harmed more easily by the sun. Thus sunburn."

"You certainly know a lot about that kind of stuff," Bunny gestured vaguely when saying the word stuff.

"Entirely pointless stuff," Ed muttered.

"Better knowing something, then nothing at all," Amy hissed at Ed.

"Hey I know plenty of things! They're just not useless crap like yours is!"

"Well I thought it was interesting Brother," Al piped up, "It's kind of inspiring that there are so many things we have yet to learn."

Ed grumbled a yes. He really was a nerd underneath his tough exterior. Knowledge was interesting, but he was just being a grump because he had yet to get his watch back.

"Aw don't listen to Ed here," Winry locked her arm around Amy's shoulder, "He used to be so curious about everything when he was little."

"Remember that time Brother read about milking cows and attempted it on Mr. Jones' cow?" Al said to Winry.

Winry chuckled at that, "What Ed should have read up on was the difference between a cow and a bull."

Everyone laughed at this except for Ed who told everyone to shut up.

"You weren't the brightest of kids were you?" Bunny laughed.

"I'm a state alchemist! Now give me back my watch!" Ed demanded.

"Uh no," Bunny answered, "Oh look we're here."

Here being a place in a small plateau between the ranges of mountains. It seemed self-reliant, there being its own water system and power system. It was a quaint looking place. Bunny wasted no time, jogging inside and introducing their odd group to the habitants of the house.

"Hey I brought some guests!" she called to a man wearing glasses and a bandana.

"Oh are they hear to buy some mechanical li," the man trailed off when he caught sight of Al and he immediately starting bowing and asking for forgiveness.

Bunny paid the man no mind, as she explained their purpose for being up there.

"Winry and Amy here are interested in Mr. Tommy's work."

"Oh so many young girls interested in such a field," the man stated.

A woman appeared in the window. She was very motherly looking and very pregnant.

"Did you bring some friends Bunny? Come on I just made tea."

Soon enough everyone was sitting around. The woman was Sadila, the man was Lear, and the tough looking old-man was Tommy. Winry, Bunny, and Tommy sat around talking about automail. Ed and Al were admiring Sadila's baby bump. The two had were like small children, being so amazed at the baby inside Sadila. Amy, who grew up in a century were pointing out a woman's obvious pregnancy was rude and who had two much younger sisters' whose births she remembered, was reading an automail book Lear gave her.

At some point the group moved inside where Amy reclined on a chair in the corner. She was kind of lost in the book until she heard Ed dancing and cheering about how he could be taller. She looked up, seeing a half-naked Ed, and then looked back down. She tried to cool down her cheeks which were burning from embarrassment and bit back a comment about telling Ed to wear pants.

"Please make me your apprentice!" she heard Winry beg Mr. Tommy.

Amy turned to see Ed (wearing pants at least) and Winry bowing to Mr. Tommy.

"No," he said.

Winry seemed deflated at this.

"Please reconsider," she begged.

"No."

"Then tell her how to make me taller," Ed said with that glint in his eye as he flashed some money at Mr. Tommy. He was actually wearing all his clothes, which Amy was grateful for. However Mr. Tommy was not one to be persuaded, even with money.

"No."

"You better give up my dad is kind of stubborn," Lear told them.

"Get out of here," Mr. Tommy said stubbornly.

"Actually they can't leave," Lear gestured to the open door, where everyone could see the pouring rain, "They'll just have to stay until the storm is over."

With that everyone split into groups again. Ed went to go beg Mr. Tommy to make him taller while Al watched. Winry, Mr. Lear, and Bunny went to talk. Sadila insisted she didn't need any help with dinner, but Amy trailed after her anyway with the lame excuse of wanting to watch. She wasn't actually interested but she felt like she intruding. Winry and Bunny had made fast friends, while Amy had kept to herself. Mr. Tommy scared her and her knowledge of automail wasn't enough to participate actively in a conversation about it. Besides what kind of person would let a pregnant woman do heavy lifting? Amy struggled to carry the massive amount of potatoes to the table and settled them down with an "oof".

"So tell me about yourself," Sadila said as she waddled around the kitchen.

"There's nothing really interesting," Amy lied, "My name is Amy. I'm a scout for the military assigned to keep track of the Elric Brothers."

"A scout?" Sadila looked up from a pot she was stirring, "Here taste this."

Amy obediently opened her mouth and felt hot soup course down.

"Hot, hot," she grabbled for a glass of water, knocking down several empty pots and pans in the process.

Sadila laughed at Amy's antics.

"On the contrary Amy, I think you're a very interesting person."

Amy laughed too. Sadila picked up a tray of baked bread and then took several steps before stumbling. Amy reacted almost instantly, reaching her arms out to grab Sadila. Sadila's full weight fell on Amy and Amy felt every bone in her arms pop as she tried to put Sadila on the floor as carefully as possible.

"_Note to self, don't catch falling pregnant ladies,_" she thought while outwardly she screamed, "Someone help!"

The first person through the doors was Winry, quickly followed by everyone else in the house.

"Sadila fell down," Amy explained panicking slightly, "Out of nowhere. I..I.."

Amy was pretty close to panicking as Sadila definitely looked worse than she had five seconds ago.

"Are you hurt?" her husband asked her.

"My water broke," Sadila admitted.

It was all quiet for a second and then there was chaos. Ed, Al, and Mr. Tommy ran in circles screaming about what they should do but didn't actually do anything. Winry and Bunny stood there frozen and Lear started asking his wife frantic questions, as if the woman didn't know when the baby was supposed to be born. Amy felt the hysteria building up in her too, but quickly squashed it down. Babies were no big deal where she came from, she could handle this. She could totally handle this. Amy took another look at the panicking people in the room and felt the hysteria grab her again. Yeah, she could so not handle this.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Amy screamed at the hysterical people in the room, "This is no way to handle a pregnancy! Haven't you ever seen a baby being born?"

Ed, Al, and Mr. Tommy stopped running around and everyone looked at Amy for guidance. Honestly, Amy had no idea what to do now that everyone had calmed down except to ask for hot water (for what she wasn't sure but in every show they always asked for it so it must have some purpose).

"So who knows what to do?" Amy asked trying to remain as calm as possible (ignoring the drumming that was her frantic heartbeat).

"You have no idea what to do!" Ed accused.

Everyone started panicking again. Winry smacked Ed upside that head.

"Not helping!" She declared angrily, "Okay you obviously had a plan in case this happened, right? So what was it?"

"I'll go get the doctor!" Mr. Tommy declared, rushing to get his things together.

"I'll take Sadila to bed," Lear started lifting his wife up and was helped by Ed and Al who carried her to her room.

Lear laid her down Sadila in her bed and everyone else gathered around with worried expressions.

"Hold on the doctor will be here soon," Lear tried to comfort his wife.

"I don't think I can," Sadila said with a pained expression on her face.

"Women can be in labors for hours," Amy offered up.

Sadila's expression told Amy to shut up.

"Oh, we left the stove on, I'll go get that," Amy excused herself, and once out the doorway, sprinted down the hallway to the kitchen.

There was a great commotion as everyone ran outside. Amy ran back to the room.

"What's going on?" she asked panicked.

"The bridge collapsed!" Winry yelled.

* * *

Omake:

Narrator: It was another wonderful day in Amestris as our three heros continue on their journey.

Amy: Wait are we still doing that Pokemon thing?

Narrator: Yes, not get back into character!

Amy: Sheesh, grumpy much?

Narrator: Now as I was saying. Our heros were traveling across the land...

Ed: On foot?

Narrator: Yes, how else would you travel?

Al: We usually take the train.

Narrator: Well there is no train here!

Amy: What about a car? The military drives us around sometimes.

Al: Brother and I often get lifts. We only walk when its necessary. Most places are connected to the railroad.

Ed: That and whenever Al walks across sand he sinks.

Al: Brother! It's not my fault!

Narrator: You're walking! No train, no car, and no sand! It's just you and dirt road.

Amy: What about a bicycle?

Narrator: No!

Ed: This is pretty stupid. Where are we going that has no trains, cars, or bicycles?

Al: What about horses?

Narrator: For the last time, NO! You are walking! Now be quiet and I'll tell you where you're going. Now as I was saying. Our three heros were travelling along when they heard a noise in the bushes...

Ed: Is it Scar?

Amy: Cynthia?

Al: A kitty?

(Ed and Amy stare at Al)

Narrator: BE QUIET AND I'LL TELL YOU!

Ed: I don't have time for this. Come on Al, let's go find the Philospher's stone.

(Ed begins to walk away with Al following)

Amy: Wait for me!

Narrator: Wait! What about the story? (silence) Don't leave me here all alone! Who's going to walk into the sunset?

Tigger: Next time on FMA Omake: Will the narrator be left all alone? Will our heros return? Will I completely forget about him? Who knows? Tune in next time for another awesome adventure!


	58. World is a Terrible and Beautiful Place

Tigger: Look I updated and it took me less then a month!

Ed: Yeah for mediocracy.

Tigger: Normally I would say to shut up, but this a serious chapter about the evils of the world and how the innocent must suffer through it.

Al: That was very deep of you Tigger.

Tigger: Why thank you. Basically Amy is a big crybaby again.

Amy: Why do I always have to cry? It's not like it solves anything!

Armstrong: BECAUSE YOU ARE EMOTIONALLY DEVELOPING AS AN ADULT THROUGH THE HORRORS OF THE WORLD!

*Armstrong rips shirt off and proceeds to flex*

Tigger: What he said but without the capital letters and with a shirt on.

Amy: Will this be the last time?

Tigger: You're last time having an emo breakdown? Why Ed and Al have one every other day?

Ed: I DO NOT!

Tigger: But yes, Amy this will be your last time bawling like a baby. After this the story really picks up and the action gets intense. You'll toughen up as a person.

Amy: You mean I'll be too busy saving my own ass to cry?

Tigger: Yep! The only tears from you will be the tears of pain from Izumi.

Ed: Teacher is coming?

Tigger: Yeah in the next chapter.

Ed: I have to go. Now. Come on Al.

*Ed and Al make a hasty exit*

Tigger: But I didn't even thank Surviving Sheika, The Meddler, chocolateluvr13, alldumbamericanrejects27, OrionRedde, FullMetalWizardNerd7, katsekala, AmiiStarr, BAYALE, Little Bookwyrm, CloudEnvyKunoichi, IceFire Dragon Alchemist73, hauarie, and anyone else who reviewed/favoritied that got deleted from my inbox by accident!

Amy: I like how you just casually mention that.

Tigger: It's a specialty of mine. So should I mention how I don't own FullMetal Alchemist and move on to the chapter?

Amy: Sure, by the way, why is Armstrong here? He's not even mentioned in this chapter.

Tigegr: Beats me.

* * *

Amy grabbed an umbrella as well and hurried after everyone. The wind was whipping through the mountains fiercely and the rain was coming down hard. When Amy reached the bridge, everyone was staring at it looking grim. The poles on either end of the mountains were holding up, but the actual bridge part was missing completely. There was no way across. Amy felt her stomach drop nervously. Another scream could be heard from inside the house and Amy felt like this happy day was quickly twisting into some sort of horror movie. Making up her mind that she would be rather useless with the bridge situation, Amy ran back inside.

"What we do? What we do?" she panicked while shaking all the water off.

Poor Sadila sounded like she was in so much pain. She must have been so uncomfortable. Amy understood the basics of child birth, essentially the woman had to push the baby out. There were no drugs here to help Sadila feel more comfortable, so Amy would try her best. Amy rushed to get a bucket of cold water, some cloths, some food, and a glass of water. Sadila and Lear were still in the room, when she came back. Sadila was twisting around, sweating profusely.

"Make her more uncomfortable," Amy ordered Lear, while pushing the stuff she had into his arms.

Amy had no problems letting other people lead, but there were moments when she needed to take the horse by the reins. This was one of those moments. Everyone had to do their part, and Amy would do hers.

"Sadila please sit up," Amy asked. Sadila was helped upwards by Amy, who then untied Sadila's apron and loosened her dress. She ran around the pulled off Sadila's shoes and socks. Normally, Amy would have been too embarrassed to do any of this, but she knew that Sadila needed her right now. Lear had just finished setting everything down when Amy took the cloth from him, dipped it in the water, and placed it over Sadila's forehead.

"You have to change your wife's clothes," Amy told Lear, "She needs something very loose and easy to remove. Also no underwear. I'll be outside. Knock when you're done."

With that Amy rushed out the door, unless they really needed her Amy really didn't want to undress a stranger. Amy stood nervously outside the door for a second before she began rummaging through the closets in the hallway. She was looking for more pillows to support Sadila's back when she gave birth. In the movies the woman was always half sitting up, so Amy figured she try that. Lear poked his head out just as Amy came rushing back with arms full of pillows. Bunny showed up at that moment as well and they walked into the room. Sadila was looking worse than ever and there was blood and other fluids all over the sheets. Amy felt a bit faint for a moment and the pillows fell out of her hands. Bunny looked positively green and rushed from the room. Amy took a deep breath, gathered her strength and began to place the pillows around Sadila. Her only thought being, "_I hope they didn't like those sheets._"

Once Amy placed the pillows she realized she was at a loss for what to do next. With nothing to do the panic came back full force and Amy muttered a quick excuse before running out of the room. She didn't have to go far because she ran into Ed, Al, Winry, and Bunny in the hallway.

"Sadila bleeding water!" Bunny was frantically trying to explain looking dizzy and panicky as she waved her arms around.

"Oh," Winry.

"Oh, what?" Ed asked nervously.

"That means she is going to give birth pretty soon," Winry explained.

Cue running and screaming.

"What are we going to do?" Bunny screamed

"The doctor won't make it in time!" Ed yelled.

"Baby! What about the baby?" Amy's head started spinning.

A glint formed in Winry's eyes. She quickly grabbed everyone by their ponytails or back of their shirts and pulled them down. The panicking stopped immediately as Amy landed uncomfortably on the ground. Winry motioned to Lear who was watching from the doorway to come over.

"I have a plan," Winry told them, "The doctor is not going to make it in time. The baby's coming whether we like it or not. We're going to help Sadila give birth to it."

"What?" Lear shouted.

Winry appeared not to have heard Lear's objection. She looked to be in intense thought, probably making a mental list of what had to be done.

"It's no use, Ed interrupted, "Once Winry makes up her mind there is no stopping her."

Winry took Sadila's apron, which Amy had draped over her shoulders, and stood up. She straightened her shoulders and braced herself.

"But do you have any experience?" Lear asked.

"No," Winry answered honestly, "But we have no choice. Everyone is going to help. We're going to deliver a baby!"

"Ed and Al get hot water!" Winry commanded.

"How much?" Ed asked her.

"The more the better!" Winry turned to Bunny, "Bunny towels please. Mr. Lear we're going to need some disinfectants. Amy pillows!"

"Already got them," Amy answered, "I changed her clothes and tried to make her as comfortable as possible."

"Alright then, with me," Winry ordered, "You're going to help me deliver a baby."

Amy's thinking grinded to a halt.

"You said what now?" Amy asked shocked beyond belief.

Winry grabbed her arm and pulled her into the room.

"Wait, I can't deliver a baby." Amy replied nervously, "It's a human life. I can't handle those. I break myself all the time. And baby. The baby. Living and"

Amy muttered some more nonsense as she let the realization of a living creature depending on her for life, wash over her. Then she looked up at Winry. Winry looked just as horrified. She was gripping to doorknob tightly and was wavering slightly.

"You're nervous too," Amy realized.

She knew Winry was a caring compassionate person, but Amy had always viewed Winry as strong. In the anime, she had been kidnapped by a serial killer and come out okay. Yes she was scared afterwards, but she had pulled through. Amy had kind of always thought Winry was the slightest bit invincible. But now she could see Winry was just human. But Winry's determination to do this, despite her own fears, perhaps that made Winry the bravest of them all?

Winry looked at Amy. Amy took a deep breath and grabbed Winry's hand.

"We can do this," Amy said to Winry, and to herself, "We have to do this."

Ed came running as fast as he could down the hallway. He was carrying a large pot of hot water, which he was trying desperately not to spill. He stopped in front of Winry and Amy.

"You can do this Winry," he comforted her, "We believe in you."

Winry nodded her head, gathered her strength, and walked through the doorway. Amy gave a nervous smile to Ed, before taking the pot of water from him and following Winry through the doorway.

Amy would have liked to say she honestly experienced the miracle of birth. That was not true in any way shape or form. What she experienced was some kind of twisted horror film. Sadila was strong, but pushing a baby out was very painful. Sadila screamed in pain, sweating profusely, and breathing heavily between contractions. Winry was positioned where the baby was supposed to come out, which Amy thought was the worst place to be. However, Winry seemed to be doing okay as she gave orders to everyone in the room. Lear was trying to comfort his wife, who was slowly crushing his hand. Bunny was in charge of supplies and wiping the sweat from Sadila's brow. Amy had the wonderful job of holding Sadila down, which meant pushing the woman down and trying to hold her legs open so she wouldn't crush the baby. The room was somewhat organized chaos. Sadila was screaming in pain. Lear was trying to shout over his wife to calm her down. Bunny was muttering something about blood while Winry tried to yell above all of them. Amy had a headache building and tried to distract herself by humming, but all she kept coming up with "_This is Halloween"_ and the Jaws theme song. There was blood and other fluids everywhere and Amy had long since ruined her shirt and shoes.

Somehow the misfit team delivered a baby. All the chaos suddenly disappeared. The room was quiet as Winry lifted up the baby. Bunny took one look and rushed out of the room looking sick to her stomach, while Winry handed the baby off to Amy. The baby started crying, but it was nothing compared to the chaos from before. Amy held the bloody screaming baby as Winry cut the umbilical cord and attempted to wipe the baby down.

"We delivered a baby," Amy whispered in shock as she looked at the child in her arms.

Emotions tore through Amy. She felt absolute fear from the delivery process. Her heart was still beating wildly and after seeing all the pain and gore Sadila went through, Amy had resolved to never give birth. Then the baby was born, and as disgusting as the whole process was to Amy, Amy could understand how the pain was worth it. At the moment, the baby didn't look like much, it was red and scrunched up and screaming quite loudly. As Winry cleaned it off, it slowly changed from a strange creature to a pale human baby, a baby that would become a toddler, a child, a teenager, and then an adult. One day the little baby sitting in her arms would have a child all its own. The baby would be a person. She had brought a brand new person into the world, something it had never experienced before. She had helped it come to life. Amy had the sudden desire to show the baby all the miracles in the world, to help it laugh and sing and enjoy the sunshine. She wanted the baby to love life and wanted to protect it from all the evil out there. She always wanted it to be happy and safe. Amy felt her heart fill with love for the tiny creature in her arms.

There was thump as Winry collapsed to her knees.

"We did it," Winry whispered softly.

Lear came over and took the baby from Amy's arms. He held it delicately as he showed it to his wife. Both parents seemed to glow as they looked at their child. The absolute love in their eyes, seemed to take away all the pain and suffering they just went through. They looked like the happiest people on Earth. Amy's heart broke. Tears rapidly filled up Amy's eyes and she ran from the room.

* * *

Al waited impatiently outside the room. He was trying his best to wait, but he couldn't help but worry when he heard screams of pain. Ed was no better than Al. He flinched at the screams, paced wildly, only to return to his seat and start the whole process over again. A particularly loud scream frightened Al so bad that he hid in the corner with Ed, looking fearfully at the door. The screams seemed to drag on forever and Al felt like he was waiting outside the room for hours instead of minutes.

"Brother," Al spoke quietly, "I'm scared."

"Me too, Al." Ed whispered, "All we can do now is hope for the best."

"Yeah," Al agreed.

Ed had given up on God a long time ago, so Al knew that this was the closest Ed would ever come to praying to God. Al was not as sure as Ed was in religion. Despite the fact that there was no scientific evidence and he had suffered such a tradegy, Al sometimes thought there really was something watching over the. After all, Al was able to stay with his brother.

The screams stopped and Al froze. If he had his human body he was sure his heart would have stopped for a moment. The tension was broken when Bunny stumbled through the doorway as fast as she could. Once in the hallway she collapsed to her knees and took several deep breathes as she swayed slightly.

"Brother," Al alerted Ed.

Ed ran over to Bunny.

"Hey, what happened?" Ed asked desperately.

Al was concerned too. Bunny looked terrified and Al was starting to think the worse.

"So much blood," Bunny gasped.

Ed ran pass Bunny into the room and Al followed. Winry was kneeling on the floor looking positively shaken. Al's heart filled with worry and sorrow. Did Winry loose the baby? Did Sadila not make it through?

"What happened?" Ed asked again. His voice was frantic and Al knew that if the baby didn't make it, Ed would blame himself forever.

Winry slowly pointed. Al's gaze followed her pointing, where he saw Lear lift the baby from Amy's arms. Amy was staring at the baby with awe and shock and seemed quite confused when the baby was removed from her arms. Lear held the baby up so Ed, Al, and Sadila could clearly see it.

The baby was small. It still had some blood and other gunk on it, but other than that it looked fine. Sadila and Lear smiled, clearly proud of their accomplishment. Al felt so relieved that the baby made it, and was so healthy.

"The baby," Ed stuttered with relief.

The whole room broke out in cheers as the tension suddenly left everyone. They cheered and laughed. They had done it! The baby was safe! Al felt a tiny shove as Amy shoved past him and through the doorway. Al turned to look out in the hallway, but all he could see was Bunny who still looked very sick. Ed squeezed past Al to look at Bunny.

"What's the matter, Bunny?" Ed mocked joyfully, "Can't stand a little blood?"

Bunny groaned.

"I can't stand blood," she moaned.

Ed laughed. Al knew Ed meant no harm to Bunny, but he was glad to see the woman who stole his watch suffer a little bit. Seeing that Bunny was fine physically, Ed returned to the room. Al frowned slightly, not seeing Amy.

"Bunny did you happen to see which way Amy went?" Al asked politely.

Bunny weakly raised her hand and pointed down the hallway.

"Are you alright?" Al questioned, he wanted to see where Amy went, but Bunny looked very sick.

"Hate blood," she murmured, "Need a moment."

Al hesitated between leaving Bunny and going after Amy or keeping Bunny company till she felt better. Bunny must have felt Al's hesitation as she weakly waved him off.

"I'm fine," she told him, "Just going to rest."

"On the floor?"

"If I move, I think I'll throw up," Bunny admitted.

Al decided it was better to leave Bunny where she was. He would check on her later. He headed down the hall in the direction, Bunny had pointed. He was about to pass by the front door and into the kitchen when he noticed the front door was slightly ajar. Now Ed was often praised for being a child prodigy, but Al was as smart as his brother. After all Al had learned alchemy at the same time as Ed, in fact Al was younger when he mastered alchemy. Al could have been a state alchemist too. Unfortunately, the military did health checks, something Al would not pass because he had no physical body to be checked. The point being that Al, being a master of alchemy, tended to notice little details such as a door ajar that he was sure he had closed.

Al headed into the rain. The worst of the storm seemed to be over, but it was still raining heavily. Immediately Al spotted Amy sitting under the little structure used to house wood for the fireplace. Over the roar of the rain, Al heard Amy crying. He walked over cautiously. Amy was sitting on some firewood clutching her hands together as tears streamed down her face. Al was not one to insult girls looks, but he admitted Amy was a bit of a mess. She had no apron during the birth so there was blood all over her hands and shirt that had begun to wash off because of her sprint in the rain, leaving behind faint red trails. Amy looked up at Al and burst into a bout of hysterical tears. Al panicked slightly at this as he moved closer to Amy while looking around frantically to see if anyone else would come to his aid.

"Amy, the baby's alright," Al tried to calm her down, "You did it. Everyone is okay."

"It's.. it's.. not that!" Amy said between breaths.

Al didn't know what else could be bothering Amy and it didn't look like anyone else was coming. He really hated to see girls cry, just like he hated seeing his mom sad. He took a seat next to Amy and stared out at the rain, as Amy attempted to regain control of herself. She was wiping away her tears, leaving red streaks on her face.

"Is it because of your parents?" Al asked after a long silence.

"No..no," Amy voice cracked a little, "It's just when I looked at the baby, I fell in love with it and its not mine to love."

Al looked at Amy, who took his questioning stare the wrong way and began rambling.

"Not love love," she tried to explain, "Like a family love sort of thing. I just saw this baby and realized it was a person. A person can you believe that? We helped bring it to life. It's never seen the world before. Everything is no new and wonderful and I…I just wanted to show it how beautiful life is."

"I understand," Al nodded in agreement, "When I was outside the room, brother and I were so scared. We heard all the screaming and we couldn't do anything to help. I was so worried, but then Mr. Lear held up the baby and I couldn't believe it. A whole new life was brought into this world and it was done without alchemy or science. It makes you feel sort of worthless, but at the same time it's so inspiring that people are capable of something so fantastic all on their own."

"Truthfully, seeing someone give birth made me never want to have my own children," Amy admitted, "It looked very painful."

"It sounded painful," Al added.

"But I guess, in the end, it was worth it."

"I think it is."

There was little bit of silence as Amy and Al pondered the miracle of life, before Amy spoke up.

"Al?" she said quietly.

"Yes, Amy?"

Amy took a deep breath before turning to Al.

"I was also crying because there are so many bad things in this world. I've only started seeing the evil of this world recently but I know what's out there. There are these horrible stories all the time back home. There are stories of people at war, people killing each other, people starving. There are stories of horrible people who like to murder, rape, and torture children. People do things that are so depraved and evil that you can't believe it's possible for a person to do such things," Amy started to cry again as she spoke, "And life is so beautiful, but it's so tainted too. I realized that no matter how much I love this baby or its parents love it, that something may happen to it. I can't protect it Al! I can't protect a poor innocent baby and I can't protect my own family! If something happened to them while I'm gone. If someone hurt my sisters or if my parents are in an accident, I'll never forgive myself! Never!"

With that Amy started sobbing again.

"Why?" Amy seemed to be asking herself, "Why is the world like this?"

Al completely understood where Amy was coming from. Similar thoughts haunted Al all the time. When he had lost his mom. When Ed had been suffering to control his automail. When Nina had died. When Scar attacked Ed. He knew Ed fought these thoughts constantly.

"I don't know Amy," Al said, "I never understood how some people could stand to hurt others. It's the life we're born into though and we have to make the best of it. Sometimes we're hurt so much, that it's hard to go on. We have to though. We have to because life is worth living both the good and the bad parts, and I believe that for something bad there must be something good. Equivalent exchange. If we give up and let there be bad, then the balance is thrown off. Life is good and bad and sometimes bad outweighs good. There are times when good outweighs bad, and its these times we must live for. I love brother. He means everything to me. Even then I couldn't protect him against Scar. This is why I must get stronger, so I can protect the ones I care for."

Al gave Amy a smile.

"Besides Amy, you're able to protect people too. You protected me and Brother and you held your own against Milo," Al reminded Amy, "Your parents probably feel the same way to you. They're probably scared they couldn't protect you, so protect yourself for them. Be strong for them. I promise I'll always fight to stay with my brother as long as you promise to fight for to be with your family."

Amy looked up at Al and flashed him a small smile in return.

"Better yet," Amy offered, "I'll fight for the people I care for too. You guys took me in. You've saved me and cared for me. You've comforted me and made me stronger. I'm going to protect the people I care for too. I'm going to protect you and Winry and Ed because you all deserve happiness."

"We'll both protect the people we care for," Al said.

"And fight to be with them," Amy finished, "Now pinky promise, box buddy."

Al looked at Amy's extended pinky finger with confusion. Amy laughed and explained to Al what a pink promise was. The two then headed inside, where Ed made a jab about Amy's appearance. Amy kicked him in his non-automail leg, and then went to the bathroom to wash off. Al sighed at his brother's antics and asked Winry how she was doing. When Winry went off to check on the baby, Al proceeded to make fun of Ed asking if he had enjoyed his alone time with Winry. Ed became so flustered that he weakly threw a punch at Al and muttered something about going to see the baby. Al smiled. Sometimes the good definitely outweighed the bad.

* * *

Tigger: So this chapter came up because I realized Al kind of disappears in the actual manga. Winry and Ed are being all cute and couplish. Bunny is dying on the floor. Everyone else is with the baby. So Al had to go somewhere.

Al: You make it sound like I'm a misplaced object.

Tigger: At times you kind of are. However, this gap let me write about you and Amy bonding together.

Amy: Why do have us do that anyway?

Tigger: Cause I'm trying to develop an actual relationship between the two of you?

Amy: RELATIONSHIP?

Tigger: Not that way! I mean friendships don't magically happen so I'm making all all this stuff happen so you can be good friends. I want you to trust each other immensly when I throw you into the chaos that starts soon.

Al: You mean that we'll be so busy from now on fighting evil and developing ourselves as persons that we need to already have a base relationship in order for the story to work.

Tigger: You get an internet cookie Al.

Al: But I can't eat Tigger.

Amy: That's okay nobody can eat internet cookies.

Tigger: Anyway I'm super excited for Greed to show up! That's where the action begins! I was orginally going to have Amy do that whole island thing, but it took up too much time and I really really want to meet Greed.

Amy: Wait what island?

Al: Why do you want to meet Greed so bad?

Tigger: CAUSE HE'S COOL! And Greed means Ling, which means hommunculi, which means getting eaten, which means snowy mountains, which means Ishvalan camps, which means the coolest revolution ever, which means ultimate showdown with bad guy.

Amy: I understood none of that.

Al: Neither did I.

Tigger: That's cause its for me to know and you to find out. I also have so many cool twists planned and I can't wait to write them out!

Amy: Hey where's Ed?

Tigger: The important question is where is Armstrong?

Ed: *from far off in the distance* SAVE ME!

Armstrong:*also from far off in the distance* BUT THE ARMSTRONG SPARKLES ARE WONDEROUS!

Al: I say we leave Brother alone.

Amy and Tigger: Agreed.


	59. When Teachers Attack

Tigger: I'M BACK! Sorry I meant to update a week and half ago, but time got away from me.

Ed: You always have an excuse don't you.

Tigger: I dislike you.

Amy and Al: We noticed.

Tigger: What? Am I that predictable?

Al: You sort of are Tigger.

Amy: The chapter starts with Ed and you insulting each other. You usually beat him up and then the chapter ends with a continuation of your conversation and Ed ending up injured or maimed in some way.

Al: Sometimes it starts with Ed already injured or maimed.

Tigger: But but it's Ed!

Ed: HEY! What's so bad about me?

Tigger: Your easy to pick on and have a short temper.

Ed: WHO DID YOU CALL SO SMALL HE COULDN'T EVEN GO ON THE KIDDY RIDES?

Tigger: See?

Amy: See our point?

Tigger: Hmm. Okay then (grabs Ed). Let's go talk Ed.

(The two leave...well Tigger drags Ed off).

Al: Amy I'm worried.

Amy: I'm sure your brother will be fine.

Al: I'm more worried about Tigger and Ed teaming up.

(Both look horrified)

Amy: That would never happen, right?

Al: Of course not, I don't even know why I brought it up. Let's thank the reviewers.

Amy: Alright. Thanks to Rawrzness Wolf,VinylTearsFortheBroken, lonewolfgirl-sademo588, Kiwichan916, fluffyfoxears, AnastasiaXD, HyperFoxChild, Icewindwarrior, Contagious Daydream, SwirlzSmile, SwirlzSmile, keelz20, alldumbamericanrejects27, mitsuki9911, lonewolfgirl-sademo588, and anyone else I may have missed.

Al: I suppose we should also tell everyone that Tigger does not own FMA.

Tigger: SHUT UP!

(Amy and Al glance at each other before hurrying away).

* * *

Ed and Al were making horrified faces at Mr. Tommy, who was cooing at the new-born babe. They couldn't understand how such a stern man could have such a personality change when it came to his grandson.

"_Don't underestimate the power of babies,_" Amy thought, _"They secretly rule the world."_

Winry was watching the doctor check over the baby, nervous that she had somehow messed up the birth. Amy was concerned for the baby too, but she trusted Winry and thought she did a good job. At the moment Amy was slightly more preoccupied with her shoes, which were soaked with blood. She had tried scrubbing the blood out of her boots, but it had done very little. The stains weren't obviously blood, unless one inspected the shoes closely, but Amy would have preferred there be no stains at all.

"Both the mother and baby are healthy," the doctor confirmed while putting away his stethoscope, "The birth went well."

"We have Winry to thank for that," Sadila smiled.

"Bunny and Amy helped out too," Winry blushed, "I really didn't do that much."

Amy smiled. It was funny seeing Winry turn down praise. Usually she tried to beat the compliments out of Ed, but with other people Winry seemed very modest. Maybe it was because only Ed's compliments really mattered to Winry.

"I owe you my grandson's life," Mr. Tommy interjected, "Is there anything we can do?"

Winry's eyes glinted as she saw an opportunity.

"Make me your apprentice, please!" Winry begged.

"No," Mr. Tommy said sternly.

Winry sighed. She should have really expected that, after the first four times he said no.

"Hey!" Ed was beginning to get angry now, "You promised her a favor! Winry would be an excellent apprentice for you!"

"Family is important," Mr. Tommy lectured, "You should go home to yours."

No one in their group could argue that. Ed and Al were each other's only family. Winry only had her grandmother left and Amy was searching for her family. They all loved and cherished their relatives, so they couldn't argue with Mr. Tommy. He wasn't being mean, he just thought he knew what was more important in their lives.

"I guess I should go home," Winry admitted, "I haven't even called Granny Pinako yet."

"You really shouldn't leave Auntie alone," Al admitted.

Mr. Tommy fell off his chair with a look of horror on his face.

"Pinako Leshebur?" he asked horrified.

"Yeah, Pinako is my grandmother," Winry answered while looking at Mr. Tommy curiously.

Mr. Tommy's look of horror increased as he backed rapidly into the wall. Lear looked just as confused over his father's behavior as everyone else.

"What the hell?" Amy asked watching the big strong Mr. Tommy rock back and forth and sweat profusely. In fact, it almost looked like he was going to cry over the mention of Winry's grandmother. Winry's grandmother was intelligent tough old woman, but she looked harmless for the most part. Now Auntie Senile on the other hand was one scary old lady.

"Did you and granny," Winry began to ask.

"Stop talking!" Mr. Tommy looked like he was about to wet himself, "Even hearing her name brings back those horrible memories. The Pantheress of Resembool."

"WHO?" Ed and Al asked horrified.

Amy was at a complete loss for words. Pinako being referred to by a somewhat sexy and dangerous nickname had clearly warped her brain. Winry looked more than a little confused at what Mr. Tommy was referring to. Mr. Tommy seemed to gather his wits and wiped the nervous sweat that had formed on his brow.

"Well," Mr. Tommy tried to act nonchalant, "I suppose if you're really serious about the apprenticeship, I know someone who's looking."

Winry's eyes gleamed with hope.

"Really?" she asked.

Mr. Tommy looked at Winry's bright eyes and smile and his tough ego loosened a little.

"And I suppose if you need to, you could come here to visit my grandson," he added gruffly, "But no other reason!"

"Yes! Yes!" Winry cheered.

Smiles broke out through the room and a late dinner celebration was held in honor of Winry's new job and, of course, the successful birth of the new baby. The celebration lasted well into the morning. There were lots of jokes, laughing, and good food. The next morning all of teens rushed to catch a ride from a carriage heading down the mountain. They arrived in town to see the train was puffing away and ready to leave. What followed was nothing less of mad dash. The doors were closed and the train started to pull away before Amy made a heroic leap and grabbed the last carriage. Her landing was nothing short of klutzy, as she found herself half hanging over the bars and clutching on for dear life. She was hanging onto the bars on the little patio area when Al leapt onto the area and pulled Amy to safety. The train whistled loudly but that didn't stop the group from shouting their good-byes. Ed jumped next, grabbing the bars and swinging himself over ease.

"I'll train hard!" Winry yelled at them from the platform.

"You better!" Ed shouted back, "You better make me the best automail in the world!"

"I will!" Winry promised.

"Don't lose your watch, Ed!"

"I'm going to bring you back a bag full of blood for that!"

"That's disgusting, Brother!"

"Shut up!"

"Stay safe Winry! It was nice to meet you Bunny!"

"I'll miss you, Winry! I promise to write and tell you what's going on with this half-witted dwarf!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PERSON SO SMALL HE IS CONFUSED AS A TINY MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE?"

Compared to the previous evening, the train ride was quite dull. No one on board was even pregnant, so the group didn't have to worry about another delivery. Ed and Al played several games of cards. Amy watched, which would have been boring if it was anyone else playing. Ed was quite verbal in games and Al liked to chuckle evilly whenever he gained the upper hand. Several times Ed tried to cheat with Al catching him at it once or twice. Eventually Ed and Amy decided to have some breakfast and Amy took the time to tell them all about the foods in her world. She found it was quite difficult to explain the concept of a fried Oreo to people who had never heard of an Oreo. Somehow the concept of a doughnut lead to a debate on the proper way of speaking (read Ed insulting Amy's slang and Amy saying Ed's version of slang was considered old by her grandfather). Al eventually decided to take a walk and left Ed and Amy together.

It was awkward for a little bit once the two ran out of things to debate about. Amy was reminded of how much she had admired Ed back home. With Al and others around it was easy to see Ed as a sort of comedic sideshow. However, without that barrier Amy could remember the intensity Ed had shown both in the anime and several times in her being here. It made her wonder what Ed was really like. He always seemed to be bouncing between fierce genius, comedic idiot, and child-in-awe.

"What are you staring at?" Ed asked peering over the book he was reading.

"Nothing!" Amy said quickly.

Ed glanced at her suspiciously but let the topic go. When Amy felt it was safe she glanced back at Ed.

"Ha! Caught you!" Ed slammed the book down.

Amy's heart practically leapt out of her throat at the shock Ed had given her.

"I wasn't staring!" Amy objected quickly.

"You were too!" Ed's stubborn streak was showing, "Now tell me why!"

"No!" Amy was so embarrassed and mortified at having been caught. She definitely wouldn't tell Ed why she was staring at him.

Ed's face went from angry to smirking in one second flat. Amy could physically feel the dread from into a tight ball in her stomach.

"Oh I get it," Ed's grin got any wider, "Just can't keep your eyes off me huh?"

"What?" Amy sputtered, her voice going up an octave and her face colored a bright red, "DO NOT!"

Ed cracked up laughing.

"Your face," he managed between chuckles, "You react better then Al does."

It took Amy a few seconds to realize Ed was pulling her leg.

"Well," Amy tried to come up with a retort, "Keep you and your boy germs away from me."

Okay she knew that was lame the moment it left her mouth, but honestly she couldn't think of anything else.

"Boy germs?" Ed asked, his expression clearly asking if that was the best Amy could come up with.

"Shut up!" Amy replied flustered.

"Better stay away from me or my boy germs will get on you," Ed laughed.

"Yeah, well you're short."

A lame retort, but it got the point across. Ed jumped up from his seat proclaiming he was not short. He compared his size to something extremely tiny, which Amy pointed out hurt him more then helped him. He then leapt off his seat and proceeded to chase Amy around the mostly empty train car. Al came back at just that moment and Amy squealed as she ran pass Al.

"Ed's got boy germs!" she shouted, "If he touches you, he makes you short too!"

"Liar!" Ed bellowed giving chase after Amy.

"Stay away, Brother!" Al laughed running away from Ed, "I like being tall!"

"For someone with such tiny legs, he runs awfully fast," Amy remarked as she jogged besides Al.

"I'm going to get both of you!"

The chase scene came to an end when Amy had run out of breath and Ed had caught her. He proceeded to then yell about his victory and how he wasn't short. As punishment for calling him short, he rubbed his fist against Amy's head (a noogie) until she blatantly lied and called him the tallest person in the world. Finally, the train came to a stop and the Elric brothers proceeded to lead Amy through Dublith.

Amy was so busy looking around and enjoying the sights that she barely noticed when Ed and Al came to a halt and almost bumped into them. They were standing in front of a butcher shop. Ed and Al were staring at the sign as if it was the ultimate evil.

"This is it," Ed said.

He was trying to act cool, but he looked terrified.

"We could still run away, Brother," Al offered, looking just as scared.

"No we got to do this," Ed said, although he looked like he was considering running.

"Maybe teacher won't be home," Al said hopefully.

"Maybe teacher will only maim us instead of killing us," Ed said.

A silence fell on the group. Amy was wondering why the two were so terrified. Although when it came to Ed and Al, normal things didn't scare them. She tried to imagine what their teacher looked like. Instantly a thug came to mind, but Amy dismissed that cause Ed and Al weren't scared of thugs. Perhaps the person was like Armstrong? Amy shuttered. She would understand if that's why they were terrified. Sparkles were never so creepy.

"Hey, watch out," a voice from behind warned her.

Amy turned to see a young built man carrying a stack of boxes. He placed them on the ground and turned to face them.

"Can I help you guys?" he asked, "Are you tourists or something?"

"Mason?" Ed and Al asked at the same time.

"Ed? Al? Long time no see," Mason greeted.

"You're still working here?" Al asked.

"Yeah I am," Mason answered, "Look at you, you're the same height you were all the years ago."

Ed bristled at that comment, his glare clearly saying the comment about his height wasn't appreciated. Mason took no notice and turned to Al.

"Are you Al?" Mason asked, "I hardly recognized you. You got so tall."

Al looked uncomfortable at that comment. The truth being he hadn't grown at all, he just had his soul ripped from his body and placed in a suit of armor.

"Are you here to visit teacher? You're in luck she just came back. I'll go get her for you." Mason asked not noticing the tense atmosphere from Al.

Without waiting for an answer, Mason picked up the boxes and hurried back inside.

"In luck, he says," Ed muttered.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Al offered optimistically.

Both brothers shivered at that thought and nodded their heads no.

"Boss!" Amy heard Mason shout from inside the shop, "We've got some visitors!"

Amy looked towards the door Mason had gone through. There was silence and then very loud footsteps could be heard marching towards them.

"_Does a giant live in there?" _Amy asked herself.

She was starting to get a bit scared when someone emerged from the doorway. Emerged wasn't the proper word though. It was more like the person physically pushed the doorframe apart and still had to squeeze through. When the person managed to come out into the sunlight, Amy felt her heart stop for a moment in fear.

"_Oh my freaking god_," Amy's frantic thoughts went, "_That is the biggest person I've ever met. He's huge. He could bench-press trucks. He makes Hagrid look like a midget. Oh my god! Why the heck does he have a bloody knife?"_

Besides being extremely tall, the man was very large around the middle too. However it looked like all the added weight was muscle and even the apron around the man's waist did nothing to lower his intimating stature. He had a stern looking face and an impressive beard/mustache combo which added to his fierceness. Amy suddenly felt very very small.

The man walked forward and stopped in front of Ed.

"Edward," he growled.

Ed flashed the giant man a nervous smile. The man's expression became intense and he launched an arm forward. Amy was sure the man would punch Ed right out of existence, but instead his hand landed on top of Ed's head and ruffled his hair. Obviously, he was still much too strong because Ed's knees buckled at the extra weight.

"You're here," the man grunted, "You've grown."

Normally Ed would be ecstatic at someone calling him tall, but Ed looked like he was about to have a heart attack. When the man lifted his hand from Ed's hair, Ed gave a sigh of relief. The man turned to Al.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"It's me, Al," Al introduced himself.

The man patted Al on the head, something he could easily do despite Al being made of six-foot tall armor.

"Really?" the man sounded delighted, "You've grown tall."

The man turned to face Amy. Amy looked up at the giant man.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Terrified," the words came out of Amy's mouth before she could stop them, "No! I mean I'm Amy. Amy Kishi. I'm travelling with the Elrics."

Amy turned bright red at embarrassing herself and had to restrain herself from saying "Please don't crush me."

The man blinked slowly before letting out a bark of a laugh and smiled at Amy.

"It's nice to meet you Miss Amy," he greeted before turning to Ed, "What are you doing here?"

Amy was glad the giant man didn't offer to shake hands, as she was sure her hand wouldn't have survived it.

"We have something to ask teacher," Ed admitted.

"Let's go see her then," the man offered.

He handed his apron and knife to Mason and told him to watch the shop. Amy was puzzled, she had thought the giant man was their teacher.

"Al," she whispered, "Who's the giant man?"

"That's teacher's husband," Al told him, "Mr. Curtis."

"Oh," Amy was all Amy said.

Mr. Curtis proceeded to lead the trio to a small house not too far from the butchery.

"How's teacher doing?" Ed asked.

"She's generally healthy," Mr. Curtis told them, "But she's sick at the moment."

"Wait out here," he told them as he entered the house.

Ed and Al stood in front of the door, looking worried.

"Teacher's sick," Al said, "Maybe we came at a bad time."

"We're not going to make it worse, right?" Ed asked.

Amy, feeling a bit out of place, decided to stand a bit to the side. The weather was a bit warmer in Dublith so she was taking off her jacket when a foot came sailing out of the doorway, colliding with Ed, and sending him tumbling far away while he screamed in pain. Amy was pretty sure her jaw dropped open at the scene before her. She now understood why Ed and Al were terrified of their teacher.

Al was visibly shaking as he tried to flatten himself against the wall next to the door. Amy debated about running away before deciding to play the invisible card. It was the same as that stupid science theory that said t-rexes could only see you if you moved. Amy was trying to stand as still as possible, frozen in the middle of what she was doing.

"News of you have reached us, you foolish student," Amy assumed it was the boys' teacher speaking, "You decided to work for the military, huh?"

The dreaded teacher, Mrs. Izumi Curtis, emerged. Frankly she was nothing like Amy imagined and yet she fit perfectly as their teacher. She was a rather tall woman with pale skin and dark hair. Her dark hair was styled with dreadlocks and pulled back from her face. In her hands she held a big knife.

"Answer me!" she hissed at Ed.

"Don't push yourself, Izumi," her husband warned her as picked up the sad bleeding creature that was Ed.

Al was trying to sneak away and Izumi turned so fast that Amy would swear that if anyone else had attempted that their necks would have snapped.

"Who's the tin can?" she asked.

Al, knowing he had been caught, turned around and introduced himself.

"It's Ed's brother, Alphonse," he pointed to himself.

"Oh Al," Izumi sounded so polite, "You've changed so much."

Izumi offered her hand which Al took to shake.

"Not really," he began but was interrupted by Izumi tossing Al over her shoulder.

He landed on the ground with a large thump and Amy swore she saw tears spring to Al's eyes.

"You need more practice," she told Al as she dusted off her hands.

Al's only response was a terrified groan.

"And you?" Izumi asked pointing towards Amy.

"_There goes my invisible theory_."

"Amy Kishi, Mrs. Curtis," Amy politely introduced herself despite fearing for her limbs, "Please don't toss me over your shoulder or kick me into a wall. I don't want to go back to the hospital again."

Okay well the last part was begging really. For Pete's sake, Amy was still recovering from having a building crushed on her and then a battle with a homicidal maniac. Her body really couldn't take another beating at this moment. She liked all of her limbs and if Ed and Al couldn't handle Izumi then Amy sure couldn't.

"I thought teacher was sick," Al said as he began to sit up.

"Please don't push yourself, honey," Mr. Curtis requested.

"It's my foolish pupils' fault," Izumi said stubbornly, "You came from so far away and…"

Izumi's harsh look was disrupted by blood spurting out of her mouth. Amy, if possible, became even more confused and terrified. Izumi seemed to handle it pretty well as she wiped her mouth and her husband came over and offered her medicine.

"I told you not to push yourself," he sighed.

"I'm sorry for worrying you honey," Izumi sighed as she cuddled with the giant man who was her husband, "I'll never make you worry again."

The scene was so lovey-dovey that Amy blushed fiercely while looking away. Ed and Al had recovered from their defeats and were standing side by side making faces at the scene in front of them. Amy guessed it was uncomfortable for them to see their teacher be so romantic.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Mr. Curtis cooed as his wife.

"_Yeah, okay they have to stop now_," Amy thought.

Really she hated watching people kiss in movies. Anything beyond a Disney kiss was too much for her. She felt that people's love lives were intimate, even if they didn't think so. It made her really uncomfortable to watch people like that, which would explain why several times in high school she had taken the long way to class in order to avoid the make-out corners.

Izumi and her husband parted and turned the face the trio.

"One more time," Ed said gathering up his courage.

"Right," Al agreed.

"We're back teacher!" they greeted together, bowing while fearfully watching Izumi to see if she would hit them again.

"Glad to have you back," Izumi laughed, "Let's go inside."

* * *

WARNING CODE 16 FULL ALERT WARNING CODE 16 FULL ALERT

Al: What's that?

Amy: The alarm?

Al: Is that what it is?

Amy: I told Mustang about Tigger and Ed teaming up and he set it off.

Al: What does it mean?

Amy: I have no idea. The llamas at the petting zoo ate my codebook.

Al: We have a petting zoo?

Amy: And a carnival made of candy. Tigger has to stop daydreaming when hungry.

Al: So what do we do?

Amy: I don't know. How do we tell if the chapter is ending without Tigger around to maim/torture/chase Ed?

Al: Sometimes we run away or we fight Envy.

Amy: But no one else is here.

Al: Well then I suppose...

(Trap door opens and the two fall through)


	60. Touching Touchy Topics

Tigger: So on a side note the reason I haven't updated in a month was because my computer caught a virus. It might have been from trying to illegally download manga. Let that be a lesson to all of you. Don't break the law. Or you'll have to battle a crazy internet virus. BUT MY COMPUTER IS ALL BETTER NOW! AND AND I now own FMA Brotherhood on DVD. I love it. It may be because Hughes and Armstrong are reunited in an epic episode of awesomeness. Moving on. To the actual Omake and all that.

* * *

*Amy and Al land with a thump. It's all dark*

Amy: OW!

Al: What happened? Where are we?

Amy: In the dark?

Al: Not helpful Amy.

Amy: Shut up.

*Suddenly there are several more thumps and exclaimations of pain*

Amy: Who's there?

...: Amy?

Al: Winry?

...:Al?

Amy: Lieutenant Hawkeye?

Amy: I'm confused. Who's here?

*Lights flicker on. In the room is Winry, Lieutenant Hawkeye, Colonel Mustang, and Major Armstrong*

Mustang: It seems were in a spot of trouble.

Hawkeye: That's not very helpful sir.

Mustang: Right? Everyone please explain how you got here.

Everyone: Trap door.

*Suddenly a platform rises from the ground. Ed and Tigger are standing on top of it."

Tigger: Hello Everyone!

Al: Brother what is going on?

Ed: Tigger and I have decided to be team up to prove everyone wrong.

Winry: Team up for what?

Tigger:The Tri-Challenge of Doom!

Everyone:...

Tigger: I can see you're all shocked so I'm going to thank the reviewers and move on to the chapter. So thank you SparkYoshi, Myrna Maeve, CloudEnvyKunoichi, Jiwa, lonewolfgirl-sademo588, YayXGirl, Nayru Elric, Katsekala, Ace the Dark Purple Dragon, MiniSam, Rawrzness Wolf, and anyone else I may have forgot because my e-mail has been iffy.

Ed: Don't forget to mention you don't own FMA.

Tigger: WHY YOU...err wonderful person thank you for reminding me.

Ed: *smirks* No problem

Tigger: It's a wonder your little brain could remember that every week.

Ed: I AM NOT... I mean thank you for the compliment.

Hughes: Tough room.

Mustang: When did you get here?

* * *

To Amy's surprise Izumi's house was quite normal. Other than an extensive knife collection in the kitchen, they were butchers after all, the house showed no other clues that its inhabitants were a giant and a master alchemist with kung-fu skills that would make Jackie Chan jealous. Once they were all seated around the table with drinks in their hands, Ed asked about the Philosopher's stone.

"The Philosopher's stone?" Izumi contemplated.

"I was hoping you knew about it Teacher," Ed admitted looking slightly nervous.

"Why do you want to know?" Izumi asked.

"No! No! I'm just curious," Ed said very quickly.

Satisfied with that answer Izumi's face turned serious again.

"The stone," she murmured.

"There was that man we met in Central on our travels," her husband offered, "He was really interested in stones."

"Oh that man!" Izumi brightened up, "I think his name was Hohenheim."

Ed and Al immediately sat up in their seats. Amy thought the name sounded somewhat familiar and she tried to think of all the characters in FullMetal Alchemist.

"What's he like?" Al asked excited.

Ed was frowning intensely, but he looked at Izumi just as expectantly.

"He was tall, blond hair, glasses," Izumi tried to recall, "He was modest too. I don't know how old he was, but he was good-looking."

Mr. Curtis seemed more than a little put off at that comment and he seemed torn between being upset and finding Hohenheim and punching him for making his wife say that.

"Don't worry," Izumi laughed while trying to comfort her husband, "You're the best looking man of all."

It was at that moment that a thought occurred to Amy. The movie where Ed had been trapped in a Hitler Germany. When Envy was stuck as a dragon. A blond man with glasses had allowed himself to be sacrificed for Ed's sake. He had essentially allowed Envy to eat him, so Ed could see Al again. Envy was also mad at the man because something about him being a good father to…Ed.

"_Oh snap,"_ Amy thought, "_That's Ed's father. Meaning he's Al's father. Meaning their dad was eaten by a dragon."_

"So it is him," Al sighed, "He's still alive after all."

"You know him?" Izumi asked sounded surprised.

"He's," Al admitted slowly, "He's our father."

"The one who left?" Izumi asked, "Well that's good. He could still be in Central…"

She was interrupted by Ed slamming his fist down on the table.

"That bastard!" he declared angrily, "I'll never ask that bastard for help!"

"_Okay so now is not a good time to tell Ed that his dad might get eaten by a dragon. Actually I don't think there is ever a good time for that conversation."_

An awkward silence fell on the table until Al broke it.

"What did our father say?" he asked cautiously.

"Something about his life-long dream coming true," Izumi replied, "He looked pretty happy."

"_You know who doesn't look happy_?" Amy thought to herself, "_Ed and Al. They don't look happy at all."_

"Look at the time," Izumi noted, "Let's have some lunch."

After watching the amazing culinary skills of Izumi Curtis, the group with Mason settled down for lunch. There was a large buffet of food and Amy was sure it would never disappear, but she forgot to account for Ed's large stomach. There was also Mason, who acted like he hadn't eaten in days, and Mr. Curtis, who ate as if he was a bear who just finished winter hibernation. Needless to say Amy was careful about where she placed her hands when she reached for food. Al told everyone he wasn't hungry. Izumi seemed ignorant to the chaos around her as she calmly sipped her tea. Ed was regaling everyone with stories of his adventures, mostly the times he had gained the upper hand on the Colonel.

"Kids shouldn't be doing such dangerous stuff," Mr. Curtis told them as she tore some meat off a bone.

"I would like to live a peaceful life," Al sighed, "But Brother…"

"Don't put all the blame on me!" Ed told him.

"But it's always you're fault, isn't it?" Al asked.

"It is," Amy agreed, "You're the one who set me up on that date with a homicidal manic."

"And I apologized for that!" Ed blurted out, "You're fine aren't you? Don't complain about what didn't happen!"

"It was three days ago!" Amy retorted, "My memory isn't as short as you!"

Ed was about to retort when Izumi calmly but effectively cut into the conversation.

"A homicidal manic?" Izumi questioned, one eyebrow raised in a questioning manner.

Al quickly intervened trying to change the topic before his teacher decided to dig too deep.

"And there was that time you knocked Amy out with a broom, Brother," Al reminded him.

"Stop making fun of me!" Ed yelled, "Stuff like that happens!"

"How come it only seems to happen around you then?" Amy retorted.

Ed never got a chance to reply as Mason cut in with a comment of his own.

"It sounds like no matter where you guys go, you cause trouble."

"Not all the time," Al told Mason.

"Yeah," Ed jumped in eagerly, "We witnessed a birth in Rush Valley!"

"We helped in the delivery too!" Al sounded just as excited as Ed.

"We didn't really help," Ed interrupted, "We just waited outside the room."

"Amy helped in the delivery," Al added.

"By helped you mean I forcefully held down a full-grown woman," Amy laughed.

"The birth went really well though," Al told Izumi, "Thanks to everyone the baby and mother both came out healthy!"

"Yeah," Izumi gave a small smile, "You were born like that too."

"Speaking of which how come you don't have any children Teacher?" Ed asked.

The atmosphere at the table suddenly got very very tense. Without realizing it, Ed had touched on a very touchy topic. Amy knew Ed and Al raised themselves to a certain extent, but someone should have told them that. It doesn't matter how well you know a person, you never ask them when they plan on having children unless you are a) a mother or b) at a wedding. If Amy had to hazard a guess, she would say that Mr. and Mrs. Curtis weren't able to have children. They had been married for long enough and they must have liked kids in order to train a young Ed and Al, so they must not be able to have any. If Izumi's expression said anything, it was her that was unable to have the children. Amy decided they need a change of topic, now!

"You don't ask a woman that!" Amy yelled slapping Ed on the back of a head in a panic, "That's like asking a woman her age!"

"Hey!" Ed objected.

"How about you guys show us some of your alchemy?" Mason cut in seeming a little nervous, "Let's go outside."

"Sure," Al agreed.

"We've improved a lot Teacher," Ed sounded proud of himself.

"I can't wait to see it," Izumi replied with a small forced smile.

Ed and Al didn't seem to notice as they quickly headed outside, but not before Ed slapped Amy in the head for revenge. Amy took another swipe at him and missed as he hastened his walk out the door. Once Ed and Al were outside with Mason, Amy cast a glance over to Izumi. She honestly had no idea what to say. She didn't know Izumi that well and she didn't know the full situation, yet she felt like she had to say something. Something to get Izumi's sad facial expression to go away.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Curtis," Amy struggled with her words, "Ed's got a big mouth. He just doesn't think that some things are considered rude to ask."

"I'm fine," Izumi said, although she seemed to be directing this more at her husband then Amy, "Let's go make sure those boys don't destroy anything."

Amy let the subject drop and followed Izumi and Mr. Curtis outside. Al was in the middle of drawing a complex alchemy circle, which Ed and Mason were observing intently. Izumi and Mr. Curtis stood to the side watching and Izumi glanced over at Amy.

"Can you do any alchemy?" she asked.

"No," Amy answered truthfully, "I know the principals behind it, but I've never used alchemy."

Her answer seemed to intrigue Mason.

"Why do you travel around with the Elrics then?" he asked, "I thought they were teaching you or something."

"She's been assigned to us by the military," Ed replied before Amy could, "She's a scout, not a state alchemist."

That statement seemed to shock everyone.

"You seem rather young," Mr. Curtis told Amy.

"Well, uh," Amy laughed nervously, "I've only been part of the military for two weeks. The Elrics are my first assignment."

"_And hopefully my last too_," Amy thought to herself, "_Oh crud, I haven't done any of my reports yet. Ehh I'll write them tonight."_

"Can you fight?" Izumi asked.

"I have a hammer?" Amy offered meekly.

"You can't use alchemy and you can't fight," Mason thought out loud, "So what benefit do you bring to the Elric brothers?"

Ed had a wicked glint in his eye before he spoke up.

"What do you bring to the table, Amy?" Ed asked.

Amy understood that Ed didn't really liked being followed around with all of his moves reported to the military, but come on! She knew that he knew the reason Amy had to follow him around. He just liked to mock her! Well, two could play at this game.

"My job is to report Ed's moves because he seems to wander from his duties quite often and causes the military a lot of trouble whenever he travels," Amy said, "The military always get complaints about a short guy with a temper and a state alchemist badge. I'm just here to make sure Ed doesn't accidently destroy some town cause someone called him vertically-challenged. It would look bad for the military you know?"

"Why you!" Ed began a short rant that was cut short by Izumi unleashing her menacing nature. Ed quickly shut up after that.

"Finished," Al told them.

He crossed his hands over the circle and the drawing began to glow. The scriptures lite up as electricity seemed to crackle all around the circle and Al's hands. Slowly, a magnificent carved horse arose from the dirt. Once fully-formed the electricity died down and Amy went forward to inspect it.

"That's so cool!" she told Al, admiring the horse.

It looked like one of the carved horses on a Merry-Go-Round. It had lots of great detail too. You could see the locks on the horse's mane and the expression on the horse's face. It even came complete with a saddle and stir-ups.

"Oh, what detailed work," Izumi complimented.

"Ok, my turn!" Ed cut in like a little kid.

Without waiting Ed clapped his hands together and slammed them into the ground. An explosion of blue light and out emerged a fierce-looking horse. Its face was more like a boar's then a horse's with two giant fangs and a horn protruding from his forehead. It was reared up on its back legs with wings tossed up in the air.

"_I totally forgot about Ed's art style_," Amy mentally sighed.

Ed liked to put his own touch on things he alchemized. Typically he made it look tougher and have sharper angles along with designs of fire and skulls. His art style reminded Amy of metal music for some odd reason.

"Brother!" Al berated, "You should have added more detail!"

"What! You got a problem with my work?" Ed fumed.

"How come it looks like some boar-horse hybrid?" Amy piped up.

"It does not!"

"Actually Brother now that Amy mentioned it, it sort of does."

"I just made it tougher!"

"With wings?" Amy asked perplexed.

"Shut up!"

"You can do alchemy without a circle?" Izumi asked Ed.

"Oh what," Ed said a bit distracted, "Yeah I can."

Izumi stared intensely at Ed for a second.

"Ed, have you seen that thing?" Izumi questioned seriously while putting a special emphasis on the word "thing".

Ed seemed to get really nervous for a moment, but tried to play it off.

"What?" he asked with a weak smile.

"You've seen it, haven't you?" Izumi didn't falter a second as she interrogated Ed.

"Yeah," Ed admitted quietly.

"_What the heck are they talking about?_" Amy was really confused. According to Al, they hadn't seen their teacher since they finished training with her. That was before they tried to bring back their mother. So what could both have seen in the last five years when they were nowhere near each other? Amy's eyes widened slightly. Could they be talking about the gate? But what did the gate have to do with anything.

"_Unless…"_ Amy's gaze drifted over to Ed's hands. The gate and Ed's ability to do alchemy were related. That's why Izumi caught on. You must only be able to do clapping alchemy (for lack of a better description) once you saw the gate! But how did Izumi know that? Could she do it to? What had she done to open the gate?

At that exact moment several small children burst into the Curtis's backyard. They were running straight for Mr. Curtis, once they got within five feet of him they stopped, turned, and ran in a giant arc around Mr. Curtis to Izumi.

"Mrs. Izumi! Mrs. Izumi!" they called.

Amy turned her attention back to Mr. Curtis who seemed very upset that the small children had avoided him so. She felt bad for Mr. Curtis. He kind of looked like a vicious snarling bear, but was actually a giant teddy bear. Although she couldn't blame the kids either. She had been just as terrified when she encountered the giant man.

"_Oh man, now I feel guilty_," Amy squirmed slightly.

Mason tried to cheer Mr. Curtis up by telling him they should head back to the shop. Amy decided to tag along with them. She had reports and letters to write and the Elrics had something to tell their teacher. Amy basically already knew the story and if the Elrics ever wanted to tell her something new, then they would come to her.

"Can I come too?" Amy asked Mr. Curtis, "They have some things they need to discuss and I have some reports to write."

Mason told her to come along and soon enough Amy was set up at a spare table in the front of the butchery. She had kind of taken over the table with scattered papers ranging from her solider number to bank statements to the military codebook. Amy was hurriedly trying to finish all the reports she owed the military. Technically her first report wasn't due till the following Friday, but the sooner Amy got them done the better. A few customers streamed in, but it was after the lunch rush and before the dinner rush so it was mostly quiet. A few hours passed this way and Amy even had time to write a quick letter to Winry before Mr. Curtis told her it was time to head home.

"Did you get your work done?" Mr. Curtis asked as they walked back.

"Yep, thanks for lending me the space. Life is always hectic with the Elrics so I never know when I'll get a moment to sit down and write," Amy confessed.

"Do you like travelling with them?" Mr. Curtis glanced over at Amy.

"They're my friends. I mean we've only been working together for two weeks, but I've known them for about two months and they've done a lot for me in that short time period. I really wish I could repay them."

Mr. Curtis smiled at Amy.

"I'm sure the brothers are thankful to have you around as well. Those two have always kept to themselves. Sometimes it's good to have someone else involved."

Amy blushed at the compliment. The peaceful bonding moment between Amy and Mr. Curtis was interrupted by a cry. Amy and Mr. Curtis exchanged looks before quickly heading indoors. The doorway was crowded with Izumi standing in front it with her two apprentices. Al looked flabbergasted and Ed looked sullen.

"I no longer consider you my apprentices," Izumi told them in a stern voice, "I didn't teach you alchemy so you could turn your bodies into that. Get out."

"Teacher," Al protested.

Ed held up his hand to stop Al.

"The train should be coming soon," Izumi continued, "Leave."

* * *

*Everyone is sitting around at a giant conference table. Some are eating the snacks while the others are looking at Tigger and Ed who are organsing some sort of powerpoint presentation*

Al: Brother please tell us what's going on.

Ed: In a minute Al!

Armstrong: PERHAPS YOU NEED THE HELP OF ARMSTRONG FAMILY KNOWLEDGE!

Tigger: Uh no. Sit and eat the snacks. AND DON'T GET SPARKLES ON THE TABLE!

Amy: These snacks are actually really good.

Winry: Are you sure its safe to eat these?

Amy: The way I see it knowing Tigger this may be the last time we eat for a while.

Winry: You have a good point.

Tigger: DONE!

*Switches powerpoint on.*

Tigger: Now onto the Tri-Challenge of Doom! It will be a momentous occasion with tons of obstacles and partnerships of glory and...Armstrong did you rewrite my cue cards?

Armstrong: I brought the glory of the Armstrong Family dictionary to them!

Al: They have a dictionary?

Mustang: Unfortunately.

Ed: Basically we're going to break up into partners and do three challenges together. Whoever wins the most points wins.

Armstrong: What would we win?

Tigger: Glory, honor...

Ed: Bragging rights?

Mustang: And why would we want to participate?

Ed: You chicken, Colonel?

Mustang: I won't fall for your petty tauntings Fullmetal.

Tigger: You're going to do it cause you're stuck in my fic.

Hawkeye: She has a good point sir.

Winry: So what are the teams?

Tigger: Well me and Ed obviously. The rest are for the reviewers to decide. They can pair up anyone from this list: Alphonse, Hawkeye, Mustang, Armstrong, Winry and Amy.

Amy: What's the first challenge?

Tigger: HOPSCOTCH MATCH OF DOOM!


End file.
